April 2, 2021 by Greenwich Sentinel

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April 2, 2021

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Easter Treasures Abound at Local Stores

Local News Briefs You Need to Know

Red Cross to Host Virtual 5K The American Red Cross announced its Heroes Run for Humanity Virtual 5K with special musical guest, Bon Jovi. By Kris Herndon

FIRST QUARTER HOME SALES BLOW AWAY FIRST QUARTER 2020 In the first quarte of 2021 home sales were up 93% to 195 sales compared to 101 sales in the first quarter of 2020 and it’s only going to get better. Our contracts are up 115%, so you can expect that April 2021 will be much better than last April. The first quarter would actually have even better even better if we had more inventory. Our inventory at the end of March 2020 was 508 single family home listings This year inventory is down 45% to only 282. That week’s number is even down from our embarrassingly low YTD high of 302 listings last week. While we added 23 new listings week, we also had 46 listings go off the market for a net shrinkage of 23 listings, so we lost twice as many listings off the market as we saw come on the market This at a time when we should be adding dozens of net listings a week. SEE PAGE 2 FOR MORE CONNECTICUT RECEIVES FIRST CREDIT RATING UPGRADE IN MORE THAN 20 YEARS Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded Connecticut’s General Obligation bonds credit rating from “A1” to “Aa3,” making it the first credit rating upgrade the state has received since February 2001. COVID/GPS UPDATE As of last Tuesday, 9 new Coronavirus cases had been reported in the Greenwich Public Schools.There were 28 active cases.

Left and Bottom: Daffodils and Peonies and Easter Lilys at McArdle's; Center: McArdle's sign; Right: Ukrainian decorated eggs at Dogwood Books & Gifts. See page 3. Photos by Anne W. Semmes.

GCDS Teacher Laubscher Wins State Powerlifting Championship By Kris Herndon Fourth-graders at the Greenwich Country Day School (GCDS) know him as their teacher, Mr. Laubscher, but now Luke Laubscher has another title: powerlifting champ. The 28-year-old Laubscher, who has been teaching at GCDS for the past four years, recently won his 93kg weight class in the Connecticut Spring Classic, a powerlifting competition. Laubscher said he wasn’t focused on athletics growing up. But, like many athletes, things fell into place for him when he found the right sport. “I

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A Tulip or an Oak Tree? Illustrated by Wajih Chaudhry

SUBMIT EVENTS Editor@GreenwichSentinel. com ANNOUNCEMENTS Weddings & engagements; promotions, achievements; births; letters to the editor; obituaries. These are free. Beth@GreenwichSentinel. com SPORTS Paul@GreenwichSentinel.com ADVERTISING Peter@GreenwichSentinel. com; call 203-4850226; or buy online at GreenwichSentinel.com/ Advertise STORY IDEAS Publisher@ GreenwichSentinel.com COLUMNISTS Columnists and community impact. Jenny at CommunityImpact@ GreenwichSentinel.com JIM KNOX info@beardsleyzoo.org LETTERS Editor@GreenwichSentinel. com CORRESPONDENCE PO Box 279 Greenwich, CT 06836

By Jill S. Woolworth, LMFT Parents wonder when to help and when to let children, especially teens, work things out for themselves. Too often we ju mp i n when ou r children would do well to work it out on their own. We want so much to clear the roadway for our children; however, like us, they learn from adversity and challenges. If we see ou r ch ild struggling with a problem or a decision, we can ask her if she feels like a tulip about to be blown over by the strong wind, or if she feels like an oak tree with roots deep enough to f ig ure it out on her own. Her answer might n o t c om e r i g ht aw ay, but by ask i ng her t he question, she can take r e sp on si bi l it y for t he amount of adult support she wants.

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Calls to Action

SUBSCRIBER DELIVERY ISSUES & REQUESTS Thomas@maninmotionllc. com or call 203-515-2288

Feel free to invent other metaphors for vulnerability and strength. A bug about to be squished versus an eagle sheltering in the cleft of a tree during a storm might appeal more to your child. Jorge was a junior in high school cr ying quietly alone in his room after being cut from the basketball team. His dad sat down next to him and asked him if he felt like a drowning puppy or a wet dog. Jorge told him he felt like a puppy. It was time for some fatherly advice. Greenwich resident , Jill Woolworth is author of the book, The Waterwheel, which is available locally at Diane's Books (203869-1515) or info@ dianesbooks.com) or at Amazon.

The A mer ica n Re d Cross announced its Heroes Run for Humanity Virtual 5K, part of its Heroes for Humanity Virtual Experience, to take place Thursday, April 22. The Heroes for Humanity event w ill recog nize civ ic leaders and heroic individuals who embody the organization’s humanitarian mission, and will feature several celebrity honorees, as well as a special musica l per for ma nce by Jon B on Jov i. Ol iv ia Wa l ker a nd Leah Butler, co-chairs for the event, said they were thrilled a t t h e m u s i c a l g u e s t : “ We are so incredibly thankful and humbled to Bon Jov i for donating his time and efforts to our Ball,” Walker said. “It is surreal to be a part of planning an event with an artist like Bon Jovi. I am def initely a big fan of Bon Jovi, I am most looking forward to hearing some favorites like Livin' on a Prayer, You Give Love a Bad Name, and It's My Life!" Co-chair Leah Butler agreed: “Who isn’t a Bon Jovi fan? We a re i nc re d i bly t ha n k f u l J BV has offered his talent and time to support such an important cause.” Co-chairs Olivia Walker and Leah Butler both said the Red Cross has been a cause dear to their hearts: “My mom has been a Red Cross-certified lifeguard a n d s w i m i n s t r u c to r fo r a s

St. Catherine of Siena Church and St. Agnes will continue to collect non-perishable food items, diapers, and personal care products through Easter. The group is hoping to make this drive special for the Easter and Passover holidays. The collection will take place on Tuesdays from 9:00-11:00 am in the parking lot across from St. Catherine of Siena Church at 4 Riverside Avenue. Julie Faryniarz from the Greenwich Alliance for Education reports that their virtual Trivia Challenge raised over $50K! They had a great time and were able to meet the $25,000 donor match for the Greenwich Alliance Scholarship Fund! Future fundraisers: SIP & SHOP APRIL 15th &16th Sip, Shop and celebrate Spring at the J. McLaughlin shopping event on April 15 & 16 from 9:30am - 6:00pm. Enjoy curbside pickup, local delivery & complimentary shipping. 15% of sales will benefit the Greenwich Alliance. Townwide Greenwich Middle School STEM Fair (Gr 6-8): Fully virtual event, May 15th. Register by April 9th at www.rebrand.ly/stemfair High School Seniors & College Students-Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich applications for

scholarships due April 16, 2021. https://bgcg.org/events-news/news. html/article/2021/03/01/acceptingapplications-for-college-scholarships

Radar Screen

Get your tickets for Wed, Apr 7th at 6:30PM Youth of the Year at Boys & Girls Club. BGCG.org Attend the Handled with Care Dress Boutique: Saturday, April 10 from 9am-5:pm at The Hyatt Regency Hotel. For more information: https:// kidshelpingkidsct.org/ Join GEMS: Greenwich Emergency Medical Service as a volunteer. Check out their website for more information and volunteer training opportunities: https://www. greenwichems.org/ TAG (The Transportation Association of Greenwich) needs help finding two new employees. They need a a Human Service driver for 30-35 hours a week who has a commercial drivers license, passenger endorsed, and current medical. Please contact debbie@ ridetag.org or call 203-637-4345

Have a CALL TO ACT ION ? E nte r it at : www.GreenwichSentinel. com/call-to-action/

INSIDE Special Worship Information .................................. 4 & 5 New Columns from Icy Frantz & Patricia Chadwick...... 7 Community Calendar...................................................... 8 & 9 Editorial ................................................................................. 10 Local News.................................................................... 9, 11, 16 New Worships Columns .........................................12 Astrology Column from Sally Brompton........................13 Suduko, Crossword Puzzles & Children's Puzzles..15 & 18 Real Estate Dashboard....................................................19 New Column from Mark Pruner..........................................3

By Beth Barhydt On the Radar Screen this week is real estate. The business of Real Estate is the business of Greenwich. We believe that Greenwich is one of the best places to live in the country and we make no secret of the fact that we are proud of our hometown. We are fortunate to have outstanding real estate industry partners including Sotheby's, Houlihan Lawrence, Coldwell Banker's Old Greenwich office, and Berkshire Hathaway Home Services. They see their mission as larger than just selling houses. They believe in and support the Greenwich community in many, many ways. Berkshire's Mark Pruner even serves as our Real Estate expert and Editor and he has recruited fellow agents Rob Pulitano, Cesar Rabellino, Pam Toner, and Cheryl MacCluskey to help him create the Real Estate dashboard and columns each week. Mark is unique in that he compiles his own charts and data so his conclusions are accurate and informative. As an attorney, an active leader and volunteer in the Greenwich community, and a real estate agent himself, he knows the business of Greenwich and the community in general well. He also happens to be a nice person. His special column this week is on Page 2 as he takes a deep look at the first quarter numbers in the Greenwich market.

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Celebrate! VISIT US FOR THE VERY BEST EASTER FLOWERS, PLANTS AND GIFTS 48 Arch Street, Greenwich McArdles.com • 2 0 3 . 6 6 1 . 5 6 0 0 Monday - Saturday 8-5:30

Column: On My Watch from Anne W. Semmes

Chase Reynolds Ewald’s New Book on Bisons Lost & Found By Anne W. Semmes Having a coffee table book that tells the dramatic story of an icon of this country, the bison - we commonly call the buffalo, that so beautifully gives the visual portrait of this animal in place, is truly a treasure for all ages. And, if one can soak in its history so well written by our own Chase Reynolds Ewald of how this bearded, horned beast survived near extinction from the many millions that grazed our continent, one can learn a lot about “the worst and best of humanity.” The success of “Bison, Portrait of an Icon,” is ev ident in the quick sellout of its first printing. C a l i fo r n i a-b a s e d C h a s e a n d Montana-based photographer Audrey Hall have a good thing going with this their seventh book as western storytellers. Chase saw her first bison age 10 on a family trip to Colorado and Wyoming. “Bison were iconic and charismatic and had a timeless solidity about them that one never forgets,” she recalls. “They've been here longer than we have.” Yes, as of 200,000 years ago, when they crossed that Bering Land Bridge. By year 12,000 they’d outlived other large mammals to inherit the Great Plains. “There were so many, in fact, that for one winter week in three Kansas counties their breaths formed a three-county storm cloud,” w r ites pr ize-w in n ing filmmaker John Heminway in the book’s introduction. Chase describes the bison as “creatures of contradiction,” with their “dense, humped, compact bodies on overly short legs; their curved horns and jaunty beards; their robes worth of fur…and those ageless, knowing eyes.” Yet they can sprint at 35-miles per hour, and “clear fence-high obstacles.” And best to keep your distance. “Bison who seem to be placidly grazing will seem not to be bothered as people approach,

then will spin on a dime and toss someone in the air or gore them.” “Wildlife’s ‘personal space’ is about 100 yards,” Audrey Hall learned this preferred distancing from a ranger in Yellowstone National Park where she saw her first bison as a child. “I thought they were g igantic and other worldly. They were the animals that watched over everything else… the wise elders, the gate keepers.” The book tells well in American Indian voices what the bisons, “the wise elders” meant to the Indians. “The buffalo was everything to my tribe: food, shelter, clothing,” writes Blackfeet Indian artist, Terrance Guardipee. “Almost our whole world revolved around it.” “No lives were as intertwined with the buffalo as those of the Plains Indian tribes,” adds Chase. Env ironmentalist /founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard’s shares a message with portent: “More than an icon, wild freeroaming A merican Bison are our family elders who teach by example – if only we will listen… It’s ok to take – just not too much.” The trouble was we took too much. By 1800 they were near extinction, being slaughtered “at the rate of one creature every 30 seconds for 40 years,” according to former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. But luckily for Lewis and Clarke on their 1805 Expedition, they came upon an “immense herd of Buffaloe, Elk, deer & Antelope feeding in one common and boundless pasture.” Then c a me t he we st wa rd advance of the railroads that brought the buffalo hunters as Chase writes, “with west bound trains stopping so that passengers could shoot through the open windows without leaving the plush Victorian comfort of their cars.” Count the churches too as offering their congregation (in Kansas) “a two day [buffalo] shoot fundraiser.” And then there was Buffalo B i l l , “ i n t r o d u c i n g l i ve o n e s

Author Chase Reynolds Ewald, on left, and photographer Audrey Hall of “Bison, Portrait of an Icon.”

In 2016 the bison was designated an American National Mammal. Photo by Audrey Hall through his Wild West Shows while killing thousands “to feed the crews building the Kansas Pacific Railroad.” Enter the forces for saving

the bisons. In 1905 the American Bison Society is founded at the Bronx Zoo by Frederic Remington, Andrew Carnegie, with Teddy Roosevelt as honorary president.

The 70-strong I nd ia n tr i bes’ InterTribal Buffalo Council (ITBC) is created to help restore the bisons to their lands. Didn’t folks know bison is “the healthiest meat you

can eat.” Didn’t people know, “their grazing pattern helped shape the grassland ecosystem. They’re not as hard on the ground as cattle. They graze around and don’t eat to the ground,” stated Ervin Carlson of the Blackfeet tribe, and former president of ITBC. Bison were “ecosystem engineers.” Bisons build topsoil, store carbon… Te d Tu r n e r h a s do n e h i s restorative part, with some 19 ranches and two million acres providing grazing ground for many thousands of bison in the U.S. and Argentina. Enter the World Wildlife Fund’s Bison Initiative, and the National Bison Association that works with tribal nations and conservation groups to help restore the species. “Yellowstone National Park,” writes Chase, “is the only place in the U.S. continuously occupied by bison since the early days of the country.” But they must be managed by the Interagency Bison Management Plan with an annual capture within the Park, and they are fenced in. “It’s like Indians in the past; you left your reservation and that could be a death sentence,” states an Indian cultural tour guide. “ Un l i k e m o o s e a n d e l k ,” writes Chase, “bison as a wildlife species don’t yet exist – although many are hoping to change that.” Enter the National Wildlife Federation seek ing to restore bison as a wildlife species. No easy task with land managers. Today, count “roughly” half a million bison on this continent, writes Chase. “Only four percent in conservation herds. Rest raised for meat, breeding, and controlled hunting.” But what a lot of work has gone into that restoring of bison - now declared America’s National Mammal, joining the eagle. What Chase and Audrey have done in word and photo is to show us so splendidly the who and the how that restoration has been and is being accomplished.

Anne Semmes Takes You Easter Shopping Around Town

So, imagine your house is about to fill up with family for Easter weekend, all three generations. You get in the car on a bright morning and head out in search of flowers. You enter a greenhouse bursting with beauty. You’re greeted by a stone rabbit bearing a basket of flowers. Then a stone rooster standing amidst your favorite tulips, which colors to get? Then your eye spies those amazing Easter eggs. Wouldn’t my granddaughter love one of them? Next stop is a Pastry Shop to order an Easter cake and don’t forget those Easter cookies – one for each of us. Then I think of that needed Easter-birthday gift and stop at Dogwood Books & Gifts and that Ethiopian cross takes my breath away! As do the Chinese painted Easter eggs. And there is the perfect gift - that ear-standing stuffed bunny! But what of that charming little book, “Easter Love Letters from God?” And don’t I need some of those colorful chocolate bunnies! But its flowers back on the mind this spring so I must stop on the way home. And there are the Easter lilies. How could I forget them, and what a sweet bouquet of tiny daffodils and pansies? But the peonies are mesmerizing! How I love them – I shall have three of them. Happy Easter to me!

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SPECIAL REAL ESTATE COLUMN

1st Quarter 2021 Sales Blow Away 1st Quarter 2020 And, would have been even better with more inventory.

MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES We are seeing a once in a centur y lifest yle change. Not since the invention of the car, the telephone and the radio are we seeing so many changes in the home. The work from home movement is not going away, even when Cov id does. W F H means that people need bigger houses; at the moment they need much big ger home s b e c au s e of remote learning and remote work. People also want more amenities and more property as well as more rooms. This plays right into Greenwich’s forte. Our 4-acre zoning I believe is the largest in the state. We have more houses w ith more rooms. We have a g r e at ho spit a l a nd e xc el le nt schools a l l fac tors t hat bode well for us. I do think we will e vo l ve f r o m W F H t o WO F H where the “O” stands for either “occasionally” or “often”. Even after Covid is gone, people will still want a home office. The concept of the home office is also evolving. It’s no longer just a desk and some bookshelves. It now comes with a whole set of accoutrements. You have copiers, scanners, supply closets, and printers. The old 3-in-1 device is just too limited. People who can afford it are not going to scan a 20page document one page at a time.

By Mark Pruner In the f irst quarter of 2021, Greenwich home sales were up 93% to 195 sales compared to 101 sales in the first quarter of 2020, and it’s going to get better. Our contracts are up 115%, so you can expect that April 2021 will be much better than last April. The first quarter would actually have been even better than that if we only had had more inventory. INVENTORY IS WAY DOWN I used to lead w it h sa les, now it’s inventory, since that is determining sales. We had 508 single family home listings as the end of March last year. This year inventory is down 45% to only 282 listings. While we added 23 new listings last week, we also had 46 listings go off the market for a net shrinkage of 23 listings. We lost twice as many listings going off the market as we saw come on the market. We normally would be adding dozens of net listings every week at this time of the year. Last year, we started the year with 432 house listings and by March 31st we were up to 508 listings or an increase of 17.5% in the first quarter of 2020. This year we started at 293 listings and by the end of March we were down to 285 listings a drop of 2.7%. If there is any good news in this, it’s that the drop isn’t greater. Our inventory has been essentially f lat since the beginning of the year. What this means is that our new listings, for the moment, are essentially matching our demand. A TOUGH TIME TO BE A BUYER, OR IS IT? The low inventory makes for a very challenging time to be a buyer. When you are ready to buy, there is a good chance that what you want won’t be there, so you have to wait for new listings to come one. So far this year, we’ve had 302 listings come on the market, which is actually up 4.1% from last year. So, all the harping by agents that we need more listings have gotten us 9 more listings. The result is a very tight market with only 4.3 months of supply down from 15.1 months of supply last year. As a buyer in this market, you wait and check the new listings multiple times a day and finally something comes along, that while not perfect looks pretty good. You call your agent and start driving hoping that he or she can set up an appointment to see this rare, though slightly flawed, gem. Your agent amazingly is able to set up an appointment in only 2 hours. You meet your agent and find out they are running behind and it’s going to be another hour before you can get in. You get in line with the other buyers’ cars and wait your turn. You have 10, maybe 15, minutes to walk through the house and to make a million dollar plus decision with your agent. It’s a tight market and who knows when something else this good will come along, so you decide to put in a bid. Your agent checks with the listing agent, who informs her that yours was the 10th showing and they already have 3 offers. You decide to up your bid from full list to 108% of list. (The kids cannot stay in that apartment another year.) You scribble out your offer on the offer form your agent brought. She hands it to the listing agent who glances at it while showing out the people behind you and showing in the next people. The listing agent tells your agent that at 108% of list you are in second place and he has 15 more showings, two more than when you arrived. THE ODDS OF GETTING INTO A BIDDING BATTLE The whole experiencing is exciting and dreadful all at the same time; and it’s mostly not true. Even though our inventory is down 45%, and we do have bidding wars, only 22 of our 195 sales so far this year have gone for over list price. We have had another 38 listings go for the full list price. This means 60 listings or 31% have gone for full list price or better. Of the 22 listings that went for over listing price only 4 went for more than 5% over list price. For those with particularly nervous spouses, it’s actually a little bit better than that.

If you look at the original list price, then we are down from 60 sales at list price or above to only 53 at original list or above which is 27% of our sales. The odds are almost 3 out of 4 that you aren’t going to get in a bidding war on a new listing. You are even less likely to get in a bidding war if you are looking over $4 million. We have had only three houses go for over original list price above $4 million. In all three cases, these houses had been on for months. One had even been on for 1,356 days. Also, to provide more reassurance to those who see the glass as half full and draining fast, 11 of the 34 sales that went for what appears to be full list price actually were for “reporting purposes only”. These sales were private sales that are posted on the GMLS so we can point out to our fellow agents that we did it. They are also very helpful to me, and everyone else that follows the market closely, to know what things are selling for in these private transactions. After all that, how many of our 195 sales this year went for (a) over list price, (b) without a price reduction and (c) were in contract in less than 21 days? (hey, some of these negotiations, inspections and due diligence really drag out.) The answer is 6, only 6 of our sales were super-hot and even for these hot houses the median amount over original list price was only 4% over list price. So, don’t panic. WHAT ABOUT CONTRACTS? Or maybe a little anxiety is due. We have 195 sales, but we have more contracts waiting to close and we won’t know until they close just how competitive the market is this week. Last year at this time we only had 94 contracts. Our contracts have more than doubled and of those 202 contracts, 51 or 25% were on the market for less than 21 days and 34 were only on the market for 14 days or less. For all practical purposes listings that went to contract that quick were only on the market for days. Over

list price sales are going up when was ma i n ly b e c ause of a big increase in sales of hig h-end we finally seen these price close. ECONOMICS 101 FINALLY AND homes, pulling these averages up. INCREASING PRICES If you look at the price/sf in I s t h e h o t te r m a rke t a n d 2020, it went up from $501 at the these bidding wars driving up end of the f irst quarter to only prices? Def initely and also, it’s about time. We actually didn’t $525 by the end of the year. This se e much pr ice appr e c iat ion was an increase of only of 4.7% in 2020. Yes, our average and in possibly the hottest Greenwich median sales prices went up for real estate market every. We’ve single family homes, but that h a d m a n y y e a r s w h e r e t h e

The Native Habitat Virtual Lecture Series

appreciation was in double digits. Lots of shadow inventory coming on market in the second half of 2020 kept the amount of appreciation down last year. This year it looks like there is not much more shadow inventory left to go through. High demand with low inventory means prices increase. Our median price/sf is up 9% from the first quarter of last year and is up 4% from the end of 2020. Does this mean we are going to see 16% appreciation this year (4% x 4 quarters)? Last month I would have said that’s too high, but it’s not looking so crazy now.

THE EVOLUTION OF THE MASTER OFFICE SUITE We a r e a l s o g o i n g t o see Zoom rooms for video conferencing. You should not negotiate $100 million deals with barking dogs and crying babies in the background. I think we’ll also see more assistants work in the home office and not just r emotely. The nex t step i s a master office suite and also guest offices. I can even see the Biden administration g iv ing carbon credits to businesses for people not to commute. (At the same time, former presidents with lots of commercial office space being freed up will need excellent deal making skills.) T he Cov id era i s not l i ke Hurricane Sandy or 9/11. The world pretty much went back to a gradual evolution, after a year or so had passed. Covid could have been like that, but ubiquitous connectivity, smart phones and a whole series of technologies allowed us to quickly morph to new ways of living and working. At the same time, people really wa nt to get back toget her to facilitate teamwork, I just don’t see them doing 10 hours a day, 5 days a week as many workplaces had become. While the future is rapidly evolving around us, let’s wear mask s. Cov id is at another inf lection point, which really needs to be a downward inflection this time. Having a low Covid rate is a real competitive advantage. Mark Pruner is a Realtor in Greenwich, CT with Berkshire Hathaway. He can be reached at mark@bhhsne.com or 203969-7900.

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Wednesday, March 31

Deer Resistant Tips from a Neighbor GBC Neighbor Andy Chapin Thursday, April 1

Pollinator Friendly Gardening, Gardening for Bees, Butterflies, and Other Pollinators Rhonda Fleming Hayes, Author

Thursday, April 7 Sustainable Habitats Using Native Vegetation to Manage Wildlife

Sarah Coccaro Greenwich Conservation Commission Resource Manager

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Assemblies of God Harvest Time Church 1338 King St., 203-531-7778 www.htchurch.com In-Person Worship Services: Sun, 8:30, 10 & 11:30am (meeting on a limited basis in accordance with CDC guidelines and Connecticut’s executive orders). All services are streamed on the church’s website and social media outlets. Good Friday Worship Celebration: April 2, 7-9pm, in-person. Easter Sunday Worship Services: 8:30, 10 & 11:30am, in-person. Watch and worship at HTChurch.tv. Baptist First Baptist Church 10 Northfield St.; 203-869-7988 www.firstbaptistgreenwich.com Sunday Servings: 11:30am, Facebook Live or for Devotion: 11-11:25am (Dial in 701-802-5355, Access code 360922). Greenwich Baptist Church 10 Indian Rock Ln; 203-869-2807 www.greenwichbaptist.org

Special Worship Information Section

Calendar

Worship: Sun, 11am (in person and online through Facebook & YouTube). Adult Bible Study: 9:30am. Prayer Gathering: Fri, 6-7pm, Chapel. Holy Week: Maundy Thursday - April 1: Communion, 7pm, Sanctuary. Good Friday - April 2: Worship in song and silent prayer and reflection, 12-3pm, Chapel. Easter Sunday - April 4: Worship Service in the sanctuary, 11am. Catholic Sacred Heart Church 95A Henry St.; 203-531-8730 www.sacredheartgreenwich.org Mass: Mon-Fri, 7am, in the Chapel. Sat, 4pm. Sun: 7:30, 9:30, 11:30am. Confessions: Sat, 3:203:50pm. Easter Food Drive: parishioners are invited to contribute $10, $20, $25 or more gift card of either “ShopRite” or “Stop & Shop” or “Cash Donations”, please put it in an envelope and drop it off in the Sunday collection baskets or at the rectory. Holy Thursday - April 1: Solemn Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 6:30pm (also available livestream); Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, until 11pm. Good Friday - April 2: Passion of the Lord, 3pm (also avail-

Easter

able livestream); Stations of the Cross, 6pm, in Person in the Church. Holy Saturday - April 3: Easter Vigil, 7:30pm (also available livestream). Easter Sunday - April 4 Masses: 7:30, 9:30 & 11:30am. *Mass registration is needed for all masses - call or text 203-559-9256 or email secredheartgrn@optonline.net. St. Catherine of Siena and St. Agnes St. Agnes: 247 Stanwich Rd; St. Catherine: 4 Riverside Ave; 203-637-3661 www.stc-sta.org Masses: Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri (sign-in at church required): Daily Mass at St. Catherine’s Church – in-person and livestream, 7am; Distribution of Holy Communion at front door of Rectory (mask & social distance required): 5:15-5:45pm. Sat (1st Sat of the month): Confessions at St. Agnes Church – in-person (specific dates in the bulletin), 3-4pm; Vigil Mass at St. Catherine’s Church – in-person and livestream, 5pm (signup required). Sun: Distribution of Holy Communion Masses at front door of Rectory (mask & social distance required), 7:30-8am; St. Agnes Church – in-person, 8:30am (sign-up required); St. Catherine’s Church – in-person and lives-

tream, 10:30am (sign-up required); Language Masses at St. Agnes Church – in-person (sign-up required), 11am, Parish Hall (French: 2nd Sun of month; Italian: 3rd Sun of month; Spanish: 4th Sun of month); Distribution of Holy Communion at front door of Rectory, 5-5:30pm (mask & social distance required). Holy Week: Holy Thursday - Solemn Mass of the Lord’s Supper: April 1, 7:30pm, St. Catherine Church. Good Friday - April 2: Service of the Lord’s Passion, 3pm, Catherine Church; Stations of the Cross, 7pm, St. Catherine Church, sign in required. Holy Saturday - Easter Vigil Mass: April 3, 7:30pm, St. Catherine Church. Easter Sunday Mass: April 4: 7:30am, St. Catherine Church & Livestreamed into Lucey Parish Hall; 8:30am, St. Agnes Church; 10:30am, St. Catherine Church & Livestreamed into Lucey Parish Hall; 11am, St. Agnes Church. St. Mary Church 178 Greenwich Ave.; 203-869-9393 www.stmarygreenwich.org Public Mass: Mon-Fri, 12:05pm (no reservations are needed - limited to 50 people). Sat: Vigil, 4pm; Spanish (call 203-912-0246 for reservations), 7:30pm. Sun: 9, 10:30am & 12:15pm, (must make reservation in advance by calling the Parish Office, Thu or Fri, 9am-3pm and speak to the receptionist). Confessions: Sat, 2:45-3:45pm, on the patio. Virtual Mass: Sun, 12:15pm, with Fr. La Pastina on Facebook. Visit EWTN.com for daily Mass at 8am with encore at 12pm. Sunday Family Rosary: Sun, 7:30pm (No registration is necessary), live-streamed on YouTube (also listen by phone). Lent: Stations of the Cross: F r i d a y s through March & April 12, 7pm. Via Crucis (en Español): Fridays of Lent, 7pm, in the Chapel. Sacrament of Reconciliation – Confessions heard in the Church: every Saturday, 2:453:45pm. Holy Thursday - April 1: Solemn Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 7:30pm; Adoration at the Altar of Repose, 9pm. Good Friday - April 2: Stations of the Cross, 12pm; Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion, 3pm; Celebración De La Pasion Gloriosa Del Señor at Saint Roch Church, 7:30pm. Holy Saturday - April 3: Solemn Easter Vigil, 7:30pm. Easter Sunday - April 4: Liturgies: 9, 10:30am & 12:15pm. St. Michael the Archangel 469 North St.; 203-869-5421 www.stmichaelgreenwich.com Mass: Sat: Mass, 9am (In-person & Live Stream); Confessions, 3:15-3:45pm; Vigil Mass, 4pm (In-person only); Vigil Mass, 5pm (In-person & Live Stream). Sun: 7:30, 9 (In-person & Live Streamed), 10:30am, 12 & 5pm (In-person only). Mon: 7:30 & 9am (In-person & Live Streamed). Tue: 7:30 & 9am (In-person & Live Streamed). Wed: 7:30 & 9am (In-person & Live Streamed); Eucharistic Adoration, 9:30am-8pm; Confessions, 9:30-10:30am & 7-8pm. Thu: 7:30 & 9am (In-person & Live Streamed). Fri: 7:30

First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich joyfully invites you to celebrate

at Christ Church Greenwich HOLY SATURDAY, APRIL 3 7:30PM | The Great Vigil of Easter

A candlelit indoor vigil service, with renewal of baptismal vows, spiritual communion, and music sung by the Christ Church Singers. This first eucharistic celebration of Easter is one of the most ancient liturgies of the Church. Join us in-person or via Livestream!

EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 4 8AM | Outdoor Eucharist

A beautiful outdoor communion service (bread only) ideal for “early birds” featuring a sermon from our Rector. Please BRING FOLDING CHAIRS OR A BLANKET to sit on during the service.

10AM | Indoor Choral Eucharist

A joyous communion service (bread only) with music sung by the choir of men & girls, and a homily by the Rector. Space is limited. Register to attend in-person or join us via Livestream.

12NOON | Outdoor Family Eucharist

A fun, festive, and creative c liturgical experience for families featuring Communion (bread only), Easter Brass, and Alleluia shakers for children. There will be opportunity to take family photos by the flower cross in the front circle. Please BRING FOLDING CHAIRS OR A BLANKET to sit on during the service. CHECK-IN & MASKS REQUIRED AT ALL SERVICES. FOR REGISTRATION, LIVESTREAM & MORE INFO, VISIT:

CHRISTCHURCHGREENWICH.ORG

Easter

Sunday, April 4 9 AM* & 11 AM* (Indoor) *Sanctuary seating fully booked, reservations available for Fellowship Hall only.

1 West Putnam Avenue

10 AM Easter Egg Hunt (Outdoor) 5 PM (Outdoor Service) 37 Lafayette Place Limited Seating Reservations, Masks, Temperature Checks, and Social Distancing Required www.fpcg.org/holyweek One West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich CT

(203) 869-8686

Special Worship Information Section & 9am (In-person & Live Streamed); Stations of the Cross, 6:30pm. (Log onto the website at stmichaelgreenwich.com to access the Zoom Link or the LIVE Stream Masses and the Mass Reservation System). Stations of the Cross: Fridays, 6:30pm. *All Masses are in person & live stream. Holy Week: Holy Thursday - April 1: Confessions: 4-5pm; *Mass of the Lord’s Supper & Rite of Oils, 7pm; (followed by) Adoration at the Altar of Repose, until 12am. Good Friday April 2: Confessions: 11am-12:30pm; *Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, 3pm; Confessions: 4:30-6:30pm; Divine Mercy Novena, 6pm; Stations of the Cross, 6:15pm. Holy Saturday - April 3: Confessions: 11am-1pm; Divine Mercy Novena, 3pm; Confessions: 3:15-5pm; *The Vigil of Easter Mass, 7pm. Easter Sunday - April 4 Masses: 7:30, 9, 10:30am, 12 & 5pm; Divine Mercy Novena, 3pm. St. Timothy Chapel 1034 North St.; 203-869-5421 Daily Mass: Mon-Sat: 7:30 & 9:30am. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Wed, 10am-4pm; Live-streamed, 10-11am. Confessions: Wed, 10-11am & 3-4pm. St. Paul Church 84 Sherwood Ave.; 203-531-8741 www.stpaulgreenwich.org Public Mass Celebration: Mon-Thu: 9am; Sat: 4pm (Vigil); Sun: 7:30, 9:30 & 11:30am (Reservation is required only for Sunday Mass by visiting the homepage or by calling 203-531-8741, ext. 4). Holy Days: Vigil: 5:30pm, 9am & 12:15pm. Online daily Mass at EWTN.com, 8am with encore at 12pm. Daily Mass also available on Bishop Robert Barron’s website at wordonfire.org/daily-mass. Confessions by appointment only – call 203-531-8741, ext. 2. Weekday Masses are available – to place a request call Rose at 203-531-8741. Fridays in Lent: 9am Mass each Friday during Lenten Season followed by The Stations of the Cross. During Lent: Confessions available 1/2 hour before each daily Mass or by appt. Holy Week: Holy Thursday - April 1: Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 7:30pm; Blessed Sacrament will be placed on the altar of repose (Divine Mercy Chapel) following the Mass until 11pm. Good Friday - April 2: Celebration of the Passion of the Lord with Veneration of the Cross & Holy Communion, 3pm; Stations of the Cross, 7pm. Holy Saturday - April 3: Blessing of Easter Baskets, 12pm; Great Vigil of Easter, 7:30pm. Easter Sunday – Resurrection of the Lord, April 4: Mass: 7:30, 9:30 & 11:30am. St. Roch Church 10 St. Roch Ave.; 203-869-4176 www.strochchurch.com Mass: (Reservations and/or for viewing via live streaming): Mon-Fri: 7:30pm; Sat: 5pm; Sun: 7:30am (Concelebrated for Previously Scheduled 9:30am Mass Intentions), 10:30am, 12pm (Spanish). Mass Intentions: consult the bulletin for time. Good Friday - April 2: Celebración De La Pasion Gloriosa Del Señor, 7:30pm. Christian Science First Church of Christ, Scientist 11 Park Place; 203-869-2503 www.christiansciencect.org/greenwich Sunday and Wednesday services via live tele-conference: 203-680-9095, code is 520520*. Community First Church of Round Hill 464 Round Hill Rd.; 203-629-3876 www.firstchurchofroundhill.com No in-person service at this time. (If

Calendar

you need to reach Rev. Leo W. Curry, pastor, or any other personnel, call 203-629-3876 and leave a message or email fcroundhill@outlook.com). Round Hill Community Church 395 Round Hill Rd.; 203-869-1091 www.roundhillcommunitychurch. org Worship, Children’s Ministries and Youth Fellowship: Sun. 10-10:30am, in the Church, registration is required. Weekly service also available online. Thrive: biweekly high school gathering, Wed, 6pm. Foundations: biweekly middle school gathering, Fri, 6pm. November Bible Study: Stories of Advent, Mondays at 11 am, registration required. Holy Week: Maundy Thursday - April 1: Service Online, 7pm. Good Friday - April 2: Service In Person (register) & Online, 12pm. Easter Sunday - April 4: Service In Person (register) & Online, 10am. Congregational The First Congregational Church 108 Sound Beach Ave; 203-637-1791 www.fccog.org Worship: Virtual Worship: every Sunday, 10am, via live-streaming on YouTube and Facebook, and broadcast on WGCH (1490 AM or 105.5 FM). Connect during the week: Wed: Wisdom on Wednesdays (sent by the Ministerial Staff); Fri: Friday Email Blast (sign up through the website); Church school before worship most Sundays, 9am (preschoolers-grade 6). Online programming available via Zoom. A joyful community diverse in spiritual backgrounds and beliefs. The Church reopened on Palm Sunday. Holy Week: Maundy Thursday – April 1: “Dinner Church at Home” via Zoom, 6:30pm (zoom info in Fri email). Good Friday – April 2: Cross Walk from Old Greenwich to Greenwich Point Beach, 12pm; Virtual Meetinghouse Meditation, 12pm (stream on YouTube & Facebook). Holy Saturday – April 3: “Walk Through Holy Week,” 10am-4pm. Easter Sunday – April 4: Sunrise in-person service at Greenwich Point 6:30-7:30am, 9 & 11am in-person services at Church and via livestream (sign-up). North Greenwich Congregational 606 Riversville Rd.; 203-869-7763 www.northgreenwichchurch.org Online Worship Service: Sun, 10:30am, via Zoom (email Rev. Halac at Pastor@northgreenwichchurch. org or call the church). Easter Week: Maundy Thursday - April 1: 7-8pm. Easter Sunday - April 4: 4-5pm. Second Congregational Church 139 E Putnam Ave.; 203-869-9311 www.2cc.org Contemporary Worship: Sat, 5pm, (Livestream also available). Traditional Sunday Service: 8:30 & 10:30am, (Livestream available for 10:30am). Check for details & signup at 2cc.org. (*Indicates registration required) Holy Week: Maundy Thursday – April 1: *Outdoor Stand-Up Simple Supper, 6pm; Tenebrae Service, 7pm, Sanctuary; *Vigil, 8pm, Sanctuary. Good Friday - April 2: Worship (Livestream only), 7pm. *Easter Saturday - April 3: Evensong, 5pm. Easter Sunday - April 4: Sunrise Service, 6:30am, on the Lawn; *Festival Service, 10:30am. Episcopal Anglican Church of the Advent 606 Riversville Rd.; 203-861-2432 www.churchoftheadvent.org Service: Sun, 9am, Holy Eucharist. Sunday School during academic year. Christ Church Greenwich 254 E. Putnam Ave.; 203-869-6600 www.christchurchgreenwich.org

Worship: Sun: Eucharist, 8am (in-person); 10am (in-person & livestream/ on-demand); Choral Evensong (in-person & livestream/on-demand), 5pm; Compline, 8pm (livestream/ on-demand). Mon-Fri: Morning Prayer, 8am (via Zoom). Tue: Eucharist, 10am (in-person). Thu: Choral Evensong, 6:30pm (in-person & livestream/on-demand). Lenten Virtual Food Drive: Help support Neighbor to Neighbor. ‘40 Acts of Kindness’: commit to doing 40 acts of kindness this Lent. Inspirica Dinners: join Christ Church in providing dinner for Inspirica. Sunday Forum: “On the Front Lines with COVID,” 11am, via Zoom. Holy Week: Maundy Thursday - April 1: 7:30pm, Church (in-person & livestream). Good Friday - April 2: Liturgy & music by the Choir of Men & Teen Boys, 1pm, Church (in-person & livestream); A performance of Philip Moore’s new work, Via Crucis, 5pm, Church (in-person & livestream). Holy Saturday - April 3: Candlelit Vigil Service, 7:30pm, Church (in-person & livestream). Easter Sunday - April 4: Service of Communion, 8am, outside the Tomes-Higgins House (in-person). Vacation Bible School: June 28July 2, 9am-12pm, Tomes-Higgins lawn, registration opens April 5. St. Barnabas Episcopal Church 954 Lake Ave.; 203-661-5526 www.stbarnabasgreenwich.org Sunday Worship: Spoken Eucharist, 8am, Church; Holy Eucharist with music, 10am, Church and Livestream; Family Eucharist, 10am, Parish Hall. (sign up for in-person service: signupgenius.com/go/4090e4aadac2ea3ff2-sunday1). Holy Week: Maundy Thursday - April 1: Live and Virtual Holy Eucharist, 7:30pm. Good Friday - April 2: Liturgy, 7:30pm. The Great Vigil of Easter: April 3, 7:30pm. Easter Day - April 4: Live & Virtual Holy Eucharist, 11am. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 200 Riverside Ave.; 203-637-2447 www.stpaulsriverside.org Worship Service: Sun, 10:15am, live online. Living Well Through Lent Series: Sundays, 11:30am, via Zoom. Bible Study During Lent - A Special Series from King’s College London: Tuesdays, 10:30am, via Zoom. Holy Week: Maundy Thursday - April 1: online Worship Service, 7pm. Good Friday - April 2: Worship Service in the Courtyard, 7pm. Easter Vigil April 3: Worship Service in the Sanctuary (registration required), 7pm. Easter Sunday - April 4: Worship Service in the Sanctuary (registration required), 9am; Outdoor Worship Service in the Meadow, 11am (register). St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church 350 Sound Beach Ave; 203-6372262 www.saintsaviours.org In-person Outdoor Service: Sun, 11am. Online Worship Services available on Youtube. Holy Week: Maundy Thursday - April 1: online Service, 7pm. Good Friday - April 2: online Service, 12pm. Easter Sunday - April 4: online Service, 11am. Jewish Chabad Lubavitch of Greenwich 75 Mason St.; 203-629-9059 www.chabadgreenwich.org Services available via Zoom. PJ Library Zoom Storytime: Mon-Thurs, 3pm & Fri, 2pm. Family Outdoor Challah Bake: April 11, 9:45am, Carmel Academy, register by April 6. Congregation Shir Ami 1273 E. Putnam Ave, PO Box 312, Riverside; 203-900-7976; www.

congregationshirami.org All services, programs and celebrations are available online via Zoom. Greenwich Reform Synagogue 92 Orchard St.; 203-629-0018 www.grs.org Online programs streamed virtually on Zoom.us: Tot Shabbat with Rabbi Gerson and Cantor Dunkerley, Fri, 5pm. Shabbat services with Rabbi Gerson and Cantor Dunkerley, Fri, 7pm. Religious School: Sun, 9:30am. Hebrew School: Wed, 4:30pm. Temple Sholom 300 E. Putnam Ave.; 203-869-7191 www.templesholom.com Services: live-streamed via Zoom and Facebook: Fri, 6:30pm; Sat, 10am; Sun, 8:15am. Lunch ‘n Learn: Tue, 12-1pm, via Zoom. Limited in-person Friday night Shabbat service, registration is required, lori.baden@templesholom. com. April 3: In-Person Shabbat Services Shabbat, 10am-12pm; Yahrzeit Memorial & Candle Lighting: Motzei Shabbat, 8:12pm. In-Person Passover Services: April 4, 10-11:15am. Lutheran First Lutheran Church 38 Field Point Rd.; 203-869-0032 www.firstpaul.com Indoor Service: Sun, 10:30am. Bible Study: Sun, 11:45am. St. Paul Lutheran Church 286 Delavan Ave.; 203-531-8466 www.firstpaul.com Indoor Service: Sun, 9am. Bible Study: Sun, 10:15am. Wednesday After-School program: Snacks & Crafts, 3-4pm; Bible Stories & Catechesis, 4-5pm; Community Dinner, 5:30pm (all are welcome); Bible Study on Romans (adults), 6:30pm. Methodist Diamond Hill United Methodist 521 E. Putnam Ave.; 203-869-2395 www.diamondhillumc.com Online Worship Service: every Sunday, 10am, followed by a time of Fellowship. Wednesday Noonday Prayer and Evening Bible Study in the Comfort of Your Home will resume shortly. (Zoom details for all can be found on the website). First United Methodist Church 59 E. Putnam Ave.; 203-629-9584 www.fumcgreenwich.com Virtual Sunday Worship, 9:30am, via Zoom (203 629 9584). Virtual Daily Gathering: Mon-Fri, 3pm, Zoom. Talking with Your Hands: Mon, 3pm. Reading this World as a Christian: Tue, 3pm. Back to Rock – music with Mr. Bruce: Tue, 3pm, via Zoom. Reading the Shape of Scripture: Wed, 3pm, via Zoom. Spring Bible Study: Thu, 3pm, via Zoom. Tea & Talk: Fri 3pm, via Zoom. Bethel African Methodist Episcopal 42 Lake Ave.; 203-661-3099 Worship via teleconference: Sun, 11am and until further notice (Dial-in number: 425-436-6380, Access code: 612220). Nondenominational Revive Church 90 Harding Rd., Old Greenwich (OGCC) www.myrevive.org Worship Service: Sun, 10am, Holiday Inn 980 Hope St, Stamford. Online Sermons available on Facebook (facebook.com/myrevivechurchgreenwich) and on Youtube. All groups are online. Direct any prayer needs to the prayer chain at 203-536-2686 or revivecfm@gmail.com. Good Friday – April 2: Service, 7pm, Revival House. Easter Sunday – April 4: Service, 10am.

Stanwich Church 202 Taconic Rd.; 203-661-4420 www.stanwichchurch.org Events marked by an * require registration at: stanwichchurch.org/event Sunday Service: *In-person, 9am; Online, 10am. Maundy Thursday Virtual Dinner with Bryan Widbin: April 1, 6pm, *Zoom. Prayer Vigil: April 1, 8pm- April 2, 12pm, *In-person (signup for an hour). Good Friday Service: April 2, 12pm, *In-person. Easter: April 4, 9 & 10:45am, *Outdoor. The Albertson Memorial Church 293 Sound Beach Ave; 203-6374615 www.albertsonchurch.org Sunday Service: 7pm, via Zoom. Virtual Children’s Lyceum (ages 5-14): 3rd Sunday of the month, 10-10:40am. Healing Service: 3rd Thursday of the month, 7-7:30pm. (Email Albertsonpcc@gmail.com for registration and Zoom Links). Trinity Church 1 River Rd.; 203-618-0808 www.trinitychurch.life In-Person Services: Sun, 10:45am, Hyatt Regency Greenwich, 1800 E Putnam Ave. Online Services: Sun, 9:45am, youtube.com/c/TrinityChurchLife/live. House Churches: Sun, 9:45am, Fairfield County, CT & Westchester County, NY. Alpha (online): Tue, 7:30-8:45pm. Receive Private Zoom Prayer: Sundays, 1111:30am. Good Friday - April 2: Online Service, 7pm. Easter Sunday April 4: In-Person Service, 9-10:30am & 11am-12:30pm; Online, 9:45am (Registration opens March 21). Presbyterian First Presbyterian Church 1 W. Putnam Ave.; 203-869-8686 www.fpcg.org Sanctuary Worship: Sun, 10am (Traditional Service); 5pm (Contemporary Service), register. Online Worship: Sun, 10-11am at fpcg.org/live. Sunday School online, 10:15-11am. The Prayer Room: Tue, 11am & Thu, 8pm. Holy Week: Maundy Thursday April 1: Service, 7pm, Sanctuary, RSVP. Good Friday – April 2: Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, 7pm, Sanctuary, RSVP. Easter Sunday - April 4: Family-friendly service, 9am, Sanctuary, RSVP; Easter Egg Hunt, 10am, Nursery School; Full-festival service, 11am, Sanctuary, RSVP; Reflective service, 5pm, Sanctuary, RSVP. Grace Church of Greenwich 8 Sound Shore Dr., Suite 280 203-861-7555 www.gracechurchgreenwich.com Good Friday service (4/2) at noon meeting outside on the lawn of the Woman's Club (89 Maple Ave., Greenwich). Nursery is provided inside for preschool children. Easter service is Sunday, April 4 is at 10:00 meeting outside on the lawn of the Woman's Clubnursery inside is provided for preschool children. There will be an egg hunt after the service for the children. Living Hope Community Church 38 West End Ave; 203-637-3669 www.LivingHopeCT.org In-Person Worship: Sun, 10am, Sanctuary (tickets available at EventBrite by Friday 10am). Worship Service online: Sun, 10-11:15am (YouTube or Facebook). Coffee & Fellowship: Sun, 11:30am-12pm, via Zoom. Wednesday Prayer: Wed, 8:30-9am, online. ALPHA class - interactive online sessions to explore the big questions of life: Wed, 7pm, register at alphausa.org/ try. Holy Week: Maundy Thursday - April 1, 7:30- 8:30pm, Sanctuary.

Frontline Views of COVID-19 Shared on Sunday Forum By Anne W. Semmes According to longtime Christ Church parishioner Dr. Dickerman “Dick” Hollister, who heads up oncology at Greenwich Hospital and sees the impact of the pandemic on a daily basis, “We’ve had 1067 patients admitted to the Hospital, so these are the sickest of the patients… median age of 64… the youngest of 13. We had 149 deaths. The deaths as expected occur in the older age group with a median age of 82. That calculates to a death rate of 13 percent which is certainly quite substantial. What is interesting is the difference between the f irst wave of the epidemic at 16 and a half percent death rate, and more recently 11 and a half, and it shows we've learned.” “This is a novel virus,” he noted, “we had to figure it out, our recommendations change… we developed a g reat deal of a number of new treatments,

steroids monoclonal antibodies antiviral drugs, etc., changed our use of ventilators, a lot of different things that have lowered the death rate.” “But recently we've seen just a little uptick,” he continued, “So, again there's concern that there could be another wave ahead. What we're waiting to determine is all those kids coming back from Miami, where there are mutant strains, to see if they're going to bring back these to us. Hopefully, that won't be the case, but that is a concern.” Greenwich Hospital nurse Jef f Collins spoke of being overwhelmed: “We went from a 10 b ed ICU to ta k i ng up at least two full units of ventilator patients with pretty much five full time staff members. Nurse stress and PTSD kind of things certainly started to come out. I got knocked out with COVID myself in April of last year,” but he luckily escaped with only a mild case. “ We ' v e h a d t h e h i g h e s t

incidence of pressure injuries nationwide,” he told, “mainly because these patients are ones especially in the ICU. They're intubated - they have all these things around their face. I'm proning them or laying them on their face with as many pillows a s we w i l l have … S omet i me s it's just unavoidable because of mechanical devices that patients need to have.” Chaplain Eddie Lopez, an Episcopal priest, heads Spirituality at Greenwich Hospital “During the pandemic chaplains were not able to visit with COVID-19 patients in person. The concern was that we might run out of personal protective equipment, essential for physicians and nurses that were providing direct care to patients. Initially we began to call patients in their rooms of fering them support and prayer on the phone. This soon became challenging because patients were so weak and breathing problems did not

allow them to respond on the phone.” But things changed he said when Greenwich Hospital purchased “a telehealth program that gave us greater access to our patients. With InTouch we cou ld go i n a pat ient's ro om without needing the assistance of a nurse. It allowed us to see and hear the patient and for the patient to see and hear us. Many of these patients could not have long conversations, due to their sense symptoms. Therefore, we would do most of the talking, or we would read scripture or pray with them.” Lopez told of a patient upset to be missing the bar mitzvah of his granddaughter. “I was able to come in on a Saturday with my laptop and zoom in to the service so that he could participate at this special moment with the family… He was a proud g randfather, and rightly so, of a sharp you ng woma n. I nteresti ng ly, the scripture for that day was

Jacob's wrestling with the angel, a defining image for our times, of our own unwillingness to give up.” Last to share was Ken M c C a l l i o n , l a w y e r, C h r i s t Church parishioner, and author of “COV ID-19, The Virus that Changed America and the World.” McCallion spoke movingly of the staff at Greenwich Hospital that had “brought my wife Susan back from the edge just a few weeks ago,” he said. “And the Church and Marek were very supportive during that process.” “ P a n d e m i c s h ave a l w ay s playe d a n i mp or t a nt p a r t i n history, philosophy, religion and my tholog y,” he sha red. “A nd as you probably know in preChristian times pandemics were viewed as a form of punishment by the gods for the vanity and sinfulness of man…During the great plagues of the Middle Ages, it was often ascribed to the wrath of a vengeful god.” But today, he sees a growing

awareness, “that mankind has so abused and degraded its natural env ironment, G od's creation, that there's a close causal link b et we en t he p a ndem ic s a nd increasing intensity of epidemics that we've experienced in past decades and our abuse of our n at u r a l e nv i r o n m e nt . Q u i t e si mply, when you mess w ith Mother Nature, it is a way of events eventually getting even with you.” Mc Ca l l ion e nde d q uot i ng t h e R e v ’d W i l l i a m C u r r y, t h e P r e s i d i n g Bi sh o p o f t h e Episcopal Church, who had earlier addressed the effects of the coronavirus along with racial issues. “He said that real love requires not just a love of God, and a love of neighbor, but also a love of the earth. And I'll say amen to that.” The next Sunday For um will be held on April 11. For more information visit ChristChurchGreenwich.org online.

COLUMNS

Is it Time to Get Up?

By Icy Frantz Ask a dog and you w ill probably get one type of answer: What took you so long? Where have you been? It’s time to play. Time to eat. Time to pee. Can I have a bone? Ask a teenager and you will get a very different response, “15 more minutes, Mom!” shrieked from beneath a pile of covers, with no actual corresponding movement. By Nature, personally, I am a morning person. I also go to bed ridiculously early as my husband will attest, but when the sun gets up, I am right there with it. Lately, it feels like it’s time for the world to wake up too. It’s been a very long night. And after the night we had - lifting off an indented pillow, opening one eye cautiously to check our surroundings and to

assure that everything is as it should be - our head feels a little fuzzy, a hangover from a year of instability and fear. And yet, with growing confidence and bravery, it is time to pull back the covers. It’s this way after a storm when we assess the damage of an imposing wind. What debris lays at our feet? What is salvageable? W hat is da maged? A nd what needs to be thrown out with the trash, irreparable and hopeless? T he g lob a l p a ndem ic ha s been a deadly storm that has left its mark in numerous ways. For many that has meant catastrophic loss - of health, of friends and family members, of childhood rituals and rites of passage, of jobs and economic prosperity. For some of us, it has meant a complete change in the way we conduct our lives, and the way we connect with others. But it has lef t its mark in other ways too. While the angry winds were howling there was a much softer calm that took overand rose up. We saw it in the everyday people who took great care of our communities, we felt it in the different ways we spent time with our families, the novel

A pilot once told me that every landing you walk away from is a good one, and I feel the same way about the morning. Every morning that you wake up is a good one too ways we celebrated milestonesmore intimate, quieter, and even how we recognized a birth or memorialized the end of a life. We slowed our pace and learned to breathe, albeit from behind a mask. We spent time outside, walking and dining and layered up when the air became cool. A pilot once told me that every landing you walk away from is a good one, and I feel the same way about the morning. Every morning that you wake up is a good one too. And with this in mind, I stretch my rested limbs and touch my feet to the ground. Admiral William H. McRaven’s

2017 book, Make Your Bed, is based on a commencement speech he gave to the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin which includes ten lessons he learned from Navy Seal training. In it, he says, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” I remember reading this and thinking, “well, okay; I can do that,” and for a while I did. I woke up and made my bed, although not well, and then, like many best-laid plans, the making of the bed went by the wayside. It got me thinking that I might not be changing the world, but the altered world is changing me.

And I know I am not alone. When I was in my twenties, I treasured my mornings in bed, especially on the weekend when I would grab a cup of coffee, the newspaper or a book, and spend some ex tra time beneath the covers. There was no sense of urgency, just a slow awakening to the day. I would read and sip, no small mouth yet to feed or four legs to let out. I didn’t think about changing the world or the world changing me. I did not get up with the sun. But today, I might learn a little from my twenty-year-old self. Maybe that extra time in the morning in the safety of my bed would be well served to consider what I will leave behind and what I will bring with me into this new day, this new year, this new, postpandemic world. Here is a small list of keepers: - cherish the strong support of wonderful communities - Family and friends are everything - Hugs are to be treasured and not forgotten

- Life is hard, be gentle and kind - Help. Contribute. Connect. - Make room to walk and create space to be outside - Never take the simple things for granted - Wake up ready to greet the day and if not, there is always tomorrow On Sunday, Christians around the globe will wake up to the knowledge that Christ has risen. Churches will be filled to close to capacity. Easter bonnets and masks will be worn, and small children will carry baskets filled with eggs. And like many Easters of bygone years, it will be a day of celebration and hope. But whether we are Christian or not, we can choose to rise and shine with the enthusiasm and eagerness of a rested dog or the prickliness of a tired teenager. It’s time to get up. There is much to celebrate. We are quickly approaching a new world, with heavy hearts, hopeful spirits and lessons learned. The night was long, but the day looks bright. Icy Frantz; The Icing on the Cake at Icyfrantz.net

Good Friday - Why is it a Financial Holiday?

By Patricia Chadwick Have you ever noticed how many public holidays there are in the European Union? They tot a l a b out f i f te en days t hat are in common among all the member countries. In addition, each country claims an array of other days off to celebrate national events. And in Europe, when the Government is closed for a day, so are most other businesses. It’s interesting to obser ve how many of those European “holidays” are really “holy days” – that is, derived from Christian (yes, all of them are Christian) religious events, celebrating the mysteries of the faith or the feast days of popular saints.

Here in the U.S., the federal government grants us a paltry eleven holidays, but most of the states soften the blow a bit with their own selection of local days off. For example, in Massachusetts (where I hail from) they celebrate Patriots Day – in commemoration of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the Revolutionar y War. Glancing through the list of states, I was fascinated to see that Texas – a place that symbolizes rugged individualism over government regulations – proudly has a total of ten state holidays. That brings me to the point of this column. There is one holiday in the U.S. that is neither federal nor state nor municipal. Nor is it a bank holiday. Still guessing? It’s Good Friday. That most somber of Christian “holy days” is a holiday in the world of finance. Moreover, that has been the case in this country for at least 175 years, since records were first kept in 1846. Why, you might ask, and rightly so.

To a man, they knew that on Good Friday it was their duty to God to be in Church from noon until three pm, to commemorate the time that Christ hung on the cross. I pondered this dilemma for years and eventually created my ow n t he or y. B ack i n t he nineteenth century, the owners of brokerage firms were mostly white Protestant men, and by t h e t we nt i e t h c e nt u r y, t h e y shared that ownership position with f inancially savvy Jewish immigrants who established their own competitive f irms – not a crowd one would expect to see in church on Good Friday.

But there’s another side to the history of the brokerage business, and therein lies the answer to my query. Before the era of electronic trading, every brokerage f irm office had what was called a “cage”, a secured area where clerks would receive and distribute shares of stock that the brokers bought and sold for their clients. If someone worked “in the cage”, it meant he was part of that back-office team. While the high-powered jobs were

held by educated and wealthy men, the cage was run by the less educated and certainly less wealthy. Who exactly were those men in the cage? During the mid-19th century, that k ind of back-of f ice work required basic literacy and language skills, but not significant education. The ideal source of labor came from the waves of Irish immigrants who spoke English and many of whom, while poor and unskilled, had been educated in Ireland. Nearly all were Roman Catholic. To a man, they knew that on Good Friday it was their duty to God to be in Church from noon until three pm, to commemorate the time that Christ hung on the cross. I can almost hear them telling their manager that they would have to be out for three hours and their manager, himself a good Irish Catholic who had worked his way up the ladder as supervisor, was not one to refuse them. So, it was left to him to relay to

the partners at the top of the firm that all employees who worked in the cage would be at church for three hours during the height of the trading day. What were the partners to do? Fire all those employees? That was no solution – it would leave them f inding replacements, most likely more of the same Catholic Irishmen. So, the big shots – the WASP and the Jewish partners - had no choice but to capitulate. In the world of business, it’s wonderful to see the little guys w in, pa r ticu la rly when it ’s a matter of conscience. Patricia Chadwick is a businesswoman and an author. Her recently published memoir, Little Sister, the stor y of her unu sual childhood g rowin g up in a cult, is now available in paperback. She is currently working on her second book, Breaking Glass, about her “growing up” on Wall Street. www.patriciachadwick.com

A (Not So) Modest Proposal: The Snowbird Referendum

By Dan FitzPatrick The Connecticut State Legislature has recently proposed, a n d i s n o w m ov i n g q u i c k l y forward on, a series of bills that would substantially and negatively alter the roles and balance of power between local county and municipal governments on the one hand, and the state government in Hartford, on the other. These bills include, among others: SB 171, which creates a new state property tax on all homes with assessed value over $300,000 or market value over $430,000; SB 172, which would establish a statewide tax on commercial and residential property to encourage affordable housing; and SB 551, SB554, HB 5682 , H B 62 87 and H B 5983, which would essentially take over local zoning authority to regulate density within ½ mile of a public transit station, allow duplexes in all single family zones, and impose affordable housing on a regional basis. These changes would have a very significant impact on the municipalities and citizens of Fairfield County. A few years ago, I wrote an article decrying the sorry state of our state and noting that, while Fairf ield County contributes a significant proportion of annual state tax revenue, its numerical representation in Hartford is not proportional to that contribution and, as a result, its voice can be drowned out by the cacophony of other voices all too happy to impose taxes and pursue agendas that may not be in Fairfield County’s best interests yet which the county must subsidize. At the time I rather-tongue-in-cheek proposed that Fairfield County secede from Connecticut and become the State of Fairfield, the 51st State of the United States.

I was surprised at the reaction I got to that article. Quite a few people actually thought it was an idea worth considering. The idea of Fairfield County leaving Connecticut to be its own state may not be as outlandish as it might at first seem. With a population of 943,823 people (2018 numbers), Fairfield County is actually larger than Hartford County (891,720) and larger than each of the following five states and Washington, DC (2020 numbers): Wyoming (578,759), Vermont (623,989), DC (705,749), Alaska (731,545), North Dakota (762,062) and South Dakota (884,659). In 2018, just seven Fairfield County mu n ic ipa l it ie s – Gr e enw ich , Stamford, Fairf ield, Westport, Darien, New Canaan and Norwalk – generated $1.996 billion in state tax revenues. That is more than the total 2020 state tax revenues of the th ree states of A lask a ($1.642), South Dakota ($1.918) and Wyoming ($1.837). Other 2018 county statistics: median age, 40.8 years; poverty rate, 8.82%; median household income $91,079; a nd me d ia n pr op e r t y v a lue , $435,000 (note that the proposed new statewide property tax would by definition apply to more than half of all Fairfield County homes; coincidence?). Notwithstanding these figures, I do not seriously propose that Fairfield County pursue becoming its own state. Even apart from the massive cost of establishing the infrastructure necessary to operate i ndep endent ly (gover n ment , courts, state police, etc.), now would be a particularly bad time to pursue statehood as that topic is currently a big and very real political “hot potato” with proposals at the national level to make new states of DC and Puerto Rico. Best to leave that sleeping dog lie (as Cadbury would say) and move on to other potential solutions. Now for my newest idea, which may also generate some (hopefully productive) discussion. I think that Fairfield County should secede from Connecticut and become part of the State of Florida. Why Florida? For one thing,

Thus, I propose a countywide referendum to consider seceding from the State of Connecticut and joining the State of Florida. I would call it the “Snowbird Referendum.” because it has no state income t a x , op e r ate s i n a g e n e r a l l y fiscally responsible manner, and many of our former Fairf ield County residents and friends are already there. I cannot count the number of times relatives, friends and clients have said to me: “I probably should move to Florida or Texas, but I really like it here in Connecticut.” I have in past articles bemoaned the fact that, by continuing fiscal irresponsibility and pursuing social engineering goals that are not widely popular, Connecticut is in effect forcing some of its residents to weigh the benefits of remaining in the Nutmeg State. Not too long ago, the loss of a single resident and his f inance business cost the Connecticut State budget annual revenues of $30 million. In 2018, Connecticut experienced a net loss of 30,000 residents, the highest population loss the state had experienced over the previous nine years. Not surprisingly, Florida was the most popular destination. Evidence of that fact is all around us; have you noticed how many cars in our county bear Florida license plates? The idea of one or more counties leaving one state to join another is not without precedent. Ballot initiatives regarding moving the Oregon/Idaho border to allow a number of Oregon counties to become part of “Greater Idaho” will be on the May 18, 2021 ballot in f ive Oregon counties (www.

greateridaho.com). The fact that Fairfield County and Florida do not share a border should not logically or practically prevent a combination. Sure, politicians seek ing statew ide office would have to fly back and forth, but that is a good thing as Florida-based politicians should cultivate and be accountable to the geographic region that has contributed so mightily over the years to that state’s economy and population. Plus, Jet Blue and other airlines have great service at reasonable fares, including direct flights from Westchester Airport to Miami, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Tampa and Fort Myers (perhaps Westchester County would like to join in with Fairfield County in seceding?). Thus, I propose a county-wide referendum to consider seceding from the State of Connecticut and joining the State of Florida. I would call it the “Snowbird Referendum.” Now, I am not naïve. I know that there would be significant opposition to t h is idea. The politicians in Hartford would surely object to losing the tax revenue (though I would point out to them that they are already losing it as a result of people “voting with their feet” to leave the state -- see the $30 million reference above). The unions and other objects of government largesse would organize to defeat it. The now typical and anticipated efforts to smear the idea and its proponents

with the laundry list of “ists” and “isms” would begin. The “Cancel Culture” would attempt to silence any and all involved in the effort, and without the sustained and courageous effort of committed citizens to persevere, we’d soon be back again at the status quo. But the problems and challenges would remain. On many issues our great state is headed in the wrong direction, and doing so in a way that undermines the historic relationship between

local and state governments and relies disproportionately on some of its citizens to finance policies with which they might not agree. Something has to change. It seems to me that we have come to a fork in the road. Either the state politicians realize that their attempts to take over local control of zoning and taxation are an overreach, or we will continue to see residents f leeing to states which have a more traditional view of the scope of, and limits on,

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Page 8 | Greenwich Sentinel

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB: bgcg.org April 6 ‘Tasty Tuesdays’ - when you support one of 10 of our local restaurants, they will make a donation to Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich: April 6: Old Greenwich Deli and Cobber North. JUNIOR LEAGUE: jlgreenwich.org Through April 6 The deadline to apply for the JLG Community Service Award has been extended to Tuesday, April 6. An award of $1,000 will be given to a local female high school student who has demonstrated leadership and sustained commitment to community service. LIBRARIES: greenwichlibrary.org April 1 9 a.m. Virtual – Budding Buddhas Kids Yoga (Ages 2-6). 203- 622-7940. children@greenwichlibrary.org 10 a.m. Virtual – ‘Fiesta de los Cuentos’ Bilingual Storytime. dsullivan@ greenwichlibrary.org

COMMUNITY CALENDAR PLANNER

light Ring Part II. 203-625-6541. wgray@greenwichlibrary.org

6:30 p.m. Virtual – Medicare 101. 203-6256549. April 7 10 a.m. Virtual – Storytime with Ms. Melissa. 203-622-7920. children@ greenwichlibrary.org 11 a.m. Virtual – Author Talk: “New York, New York, New York” by Tom Dyja. 203-622-7948. rhansen@greenwichlibrary.org 11 a.m. Virtual – Processing Grief: A COVID-19 Grief-Journaling Workshop. 203-625-6549. schan@greenwichlibrary.org 11:30 a.m. Virtual – Qi Gong, mindful movement and breathing. Adults. 203622-6883. lmatthews@greenwichlibrary.org

1 p.m.

1 p.m. Virtual – Financial Planning in Retirement III: Estate Plan in Retirement. ywang@greenwichlibrary.org

Virtual – Financial Planning for Retirement II. 203-622-7924. ywang@ greenwichlibrary.org

3 p.m. Virtual – Afternoon Story/Craft. 203622-6883. Register.

2 p.m.

4 p.m. Virtual – Bookworms Book Club (Grades 2-3): Space Taxi: Archie Takes Flight by Wendy Mass. children@greenwichlibrary.org

Virtual – Bring Life into Every Moment: Haiku Workshop with Popona Tsukino. 203-625-6533. mmartin@ greenwichlibrary.org 7 p.m. Virtual – The Multi-Varied Images of Women in Classical Chinese Literature. 203-531-0426. April 5

April 8 9 a.m. Virtual – Budding Buddhas Kids Yoga (Ages 2-6). 203- 622-7940. children@greenwichlibrary.org

10 a.m. Virtual – Storytime. 203-622-7920. dsullivan@greenwichlibrary.org

10 a.m. Virtual – ‘Fiesta de los Cuentos’ Bilingual Storytime. dsullivan@ greenwichlibrary.org

12 p.m. SCORE Webinar: Values and Priorities - Personal (and Business). 203-622-7924. ywang@greenwichlibrary.org

4 p.m. Virtual – Bookworms Book Club (Grades 4-6): “I Love You, Michael Collins” by Lauren Baratz-Logsted. mwalsh@greenwichlibrary.org

6 p.m. Virtual – Fiction Addiction Book Club: “The Mothers” by Britt Bennett. ghayes@greenwichlibrary.org

5 p.m. Virtual – Proust Group: “Remembrance of Things Past.” 203-5310426.

7 p.m. Virtual – Business Fundamentals: Instagram Strategies for Your Business. 203-625-6533. mmartin@ greenwichlibrary.org

5 p.m. Virtual – YA Cooking: No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Bars (Grades 6-12). 203-622-7918. emorrissey@ greenwichlibrary.org

April 6

April 9

12 p.m. SCORE Webinar: Exploring Franchise Ownership. ywang@greenwichlibrary.org

10 a.m. Virtual – Senior Chinese Book Discussion Group. 203-622-7924. ywang@greenwichlibrary.org

4 p.m. Virtual – Chair Yoga. 203-531-0426.

10 a.m. Virtual – Storytime with Ms. Ann. 203-622-7920. lmatthews@greenwichlibrary.org

4 p.m. Virtual – Children’s Author/Poet Talk with Janet Wong. 203-622-6883. lmatthews@greenwichlibrary.org 6 p.m. Virtual – Design and Build a Flash-

3:30 p.m. Virtual – Meditation Workshop. 203625-6549. schan@greenwichlibrary. org

3:45 p.m. Virtual – World Music with Anitra. 203-622-6883.

RETIRED MEN’S ASSOCIATION: greenwichrma.org/speakers/future-speakers-3

est in choral music. Every Tuesday. For more details contact admin@ greenwichchoralsociety.org

7 p.m.

April 7

Friends Friday Film Reel Talk: “Columbus” with Guest Architect Michael Tribe. 203-622-7910. dsalm@ greenwichlibrary.org

11 a.m. Webinar: Thomas Dyja, on his just published book “New York, New York, New York, Four Decades of Excess, Success, and Transformation.” Free. Open to all.

GREENWICH ART SOCIETY: greenwichartsociety.org

HOSPITAL: greenwichhospital. org/events 888-305-9253 April 3 9 a.m. CPR Friends & Family (Infant/Child). 38 Volunteer Ln. $65. For discount information call 888-305-9253. April 5 12 p.m. Webinar: Bariatric Informational. 12:30 p.m.

BOTANICAL CENTER: greenwichbotanicalcenter.org April 1 1 p.m. Pollinator Friendly Gardening, Gardening for Bees, Butterflies, and Other Pollinators with author, Rhonda Fleming Hayes. Via Zoom. $25-$45. Register. April 7 10 a.m.

5 p.m.

Sustainable Habitats Using Native Vegetation to Manage Wildlife. Via Zoom. Free, GBC members; $10, non-members. Register.

Webinar: Weight Management & Surgery: Why it Matters.

GREENWICH MOMS: greenwichmoms.com

April 6

April 2 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Webinar: Knee Replacement Education. 203-863-3598.

1:30 p.m. Webinar: Parkinson’s Disease Support Group (for people with Parkinson’s disease and caregivers). 6 p.m.

“Easter Eggstravaganza.” Greenwich Historical Society, 47 Strickland Road. Register. (Please bring your own Easter basket and picnic blanket).

CPR Friends & Family (Infant/Child). 38 Volunteer Ln. $65. For discount information call 888-305-9253.

YWCA GREENWICH: ywcagreenwich.org

April 7

12:30 - 1:15 p.m. Ben Scott of GB Coaching together with YWCA Greenwich offer a trial soccer class leading up to an 8-week session. Ages 3, 4 & 5. YWCA Greenwich’s backyard, (near the tennis courts), 259 East Putnam Ave. Free and open to the community.

10 a.m. Spinal Fusion Pre-Operative Video. Online. April 8 1 p.m. Virtual Support Group: Chronic Physical Disability. (Meets twice per month).

April 7

EAGLE HILL SPEAKER SERIES: eaglehillschool.org/speaker-series

4 p.m.

April 7

Webinar: Rest & Restore – Sound Healing Meditation.

7 p.m. “Social Emotional Learning for Children with ADHD” with Caroline Maguire, ACCG, PCC, M.Ed. Via Zoom. RSVP.

6 p.m. Webinar: Support Resources for Alcohol Abuse. NEIGHBOR-TO-NEIGHBOR: ntngreenwich.org Tuesdays, 9 - 11 a.m. Food Drive (drive-thru) at St. Catherine of Siena’s parking area across the street from the rectory entrance, 4 Riverside Ave. (Non-perishable foods, personal care products, large sized diapers (5 & 6) and pull-ups, and knit hats (hand knit or store bought).

April 3 10:30 a.m. “Loosen Up!” - a virtual oil & acrylic workshop. (April 3, 10 & 17). Via Zoom. Register. April 5 1 p.m. The Art of Nature: Beginner and Intermediate (April 5-June 14). Via Zoom. Register. April 6 9:50 a.m. Introduction to Acrylic Painting. For Adults and Teens. (April 6-June 15). Via Zoom. Register. 1 p.m. The Art of Nature: Intermediate and Advanced. (April 6-June 15). Via Zoom. Register. 4:30 p.m. Collage and Assemblage Using Mixed Media. (April 6-June 15). Via Zoom. Register. 6 p.m. Explorations in Making Art. (April 6-May 18). In Studio, 299 Greenwich Ave. Register. April 7 10:30 a.m. The Craft of Painting and Your Personal Vision – Section 1 Hybrid. (April 7-June 16). Online and in Studio. Register. 1:30 p.m. The Craft of Painting and Your Personal Vision – Section 1 Hybrid. (April 7-June 16). Online and in Studio. Register. 1 p.m. The Art of Nature: Intermediate and Advanced. (April 6-June 15). Via Zoom. Register. 4 p.m.

BRUCE MUSEUM:

Introduction to Drawing. For Adults and Teens. (April 7-June 16). Via Zoom. Register.

brucemuseum.org

April 8

1 p.m.

7 p.m.

Process Painting: Master Class in Contemporary Issues. Hybrid - Online and in Studio. (April 8-June 17). Register.

Bruce Presents: Women in Contemporary Science: How to STEM the Leaky Pipeline. Via Zoom. Free, members; $20, non-members; students receive a 20% discount. Register.

April 9 1 p.m.

THE GREENWICH ARTS COUNCIL: greenwichartscouncil.org

Section 1 – Creative Arts for 5-7 year olds. In Studio, 299 Greenwich Ave. (April 9-June 11). Register.

Thursdays, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

April 8

3:15 p.m.

Food Drive at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church parking lot, 200 Riverside Ave.

7 p.m.

Section 2 – Creative Arts for 5-7 year olds. In Studio, 299 Greenwich Ave. (April 9-June 11). Register.

PARENTING WORKSHOP: keatingquigley.com April 1 7:30 p.m. Greenwich-based Keating Quigley Educational Advisors offers: “What is a Mathematician?”, a parenting workshop. Via Zoom. Free. Register. 203-987-5603. info@keatingquigley. com WHITBY SPEAKER SERIES: whitbyschool.org/middle-school-speaker-series April 6 7 p.m. “Smart but Scattered: Supporting Executive Skill Development in the Middle School.” Via Zoom. Register.

Mike & Sally Harris Photo Journey to Cuba 2020. Via Zoom. Free, but participants are encouraged to become members of the Greenwich Arts Council. Reservations required. GREENWICH DECORATIVE ARTS SOCIETY: greenwichdecorativearts.org April 5 1 - 3 p.m. Lecture: “The Herter Brothers and Gilded Age Interior: The William H. Vanderbilt House.” $25. greenwichdecorativearts@gmail.com GREENWICH CHORAL SOCIETY: gcs-ct.org April 6 7:30 - 9 p.m. Zoom rehearsals. No auditions are required to participate, just an inter-

LAND TRUST: gltrust.org/calendar April 6 4 p.m. Signs of Spring Amphibian Walk. Park and meet across from 17 South Sterling Rd. Pre-registration is required. ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE: afgreenwich.org April 3 10 a.m. Café Créme Conversation. RSVP for Zoom link. clairenegrin@gmail.com 5 p.m. ‘Worldwide Wednesdays’ - lively discussions on French films. Open to all. Donation. RSVP for a Zoom link.

Let’s Finally GET TOGETHER and celebrate 2021 with more events, parties and gatherings! Sharon@GreenwichStaffing.com

Page 9 | Greenwich Sentinel

The Bump-Outs as a Step Toward “Complete Streets” By Kris Herndon The Department of Public Works has begun construction on the bump-outs at Greenwich Avenue a nd El m St r e et , a nd while reaction to the project has been mixed, these passive trafficc a l m i ng me asu re s f it w it h a human-centric vision of urban design that has come to be called “Complete Streets.” We probably all have an idea of what a Complete Street feels like. Quiet, safe, and well-lit, it is home to a mix of restaurants and retail at a comfortable, human scale. The sidewalks are wellmaintained, with ample room for pedestrians. There is a balance of trees and greenspace with signage and lighting. It’s a place where you can take a stroll, relax in the shade, hold a conversation without being drowned out by traffic noise, walk with a pet or a small child without worrying about speeding cars. We may also have an idea of what a Complete Street is not: fast-moving traf f ic; neglected landscaping; uneven sidewalks; poorly maintained curbs; vacant lots and blighted properties; unsafe crosswalks with poor visibility; strip malls with vacant storefronts and “big box” stores. No two cities will have the same concept for Complete Streets. Some will be urban, others suburban. Some will have playgrounds or community gardens, while others will prioritize bike lanes and dog runs. Community stakeholders influence what takes shape. The term “Complete Streets” was coined by a group of cyclists pushing back against car-centric culture in urban design. From

there, it became a movement, and was formalized in 2005 with the founding of the National Complete Streets Coalition. Many cities -from densely populated areas like Atlanta, Boston and New York, to college towns like Charlotte, SC, and, yes, New Haven, CT -- have embraced its values and created their own design guidelines to further those values. Now h a l f w ay t h r ou g h it s second decade, the Complete St r e et s concept is b e com i ng mainstream, and continues to inf luence how downtowns are designed. And community input is crucial to the model. This is one of the idea’s great strengths: it prioritizes input from people who live in the community, people who work at, own, or patronize those restaurants and retail, residents, whether old or young, who walk or bike on those streets and sidewalks. Zon ing laws a re for wa rdlooking by nature. They require us to envision not only what the community needs today, but what it will need tomorrow, next year, and in years to come. As that picture changes and evolves, zoning must evolve along with it. And zoning laws, again by their nature, must be collaborative. They are there, after all, to regulate competing claims to the built environment. Densely populated areas tend to need more zoning, as different uses need to be kept separate for the health and safety of all community members. Throughout the process of Construction is underway at Greenwich Avenue and Elm Street. upgrading the intersections in Photo credit: Kris Herndon historic downtown Greenwich, c o m mu n it y e n g a g e m e nt h a s In particular, advocates have Avenue, in front of TD Bank. is hard, and any alteration to been high, and, as with any major protested the planned removal of Voicing those concerns is a the streetscape impacts many project, reactions have been mixed. a beautiful mature pin oak on the crucial part of the process. Change stakeholders: drivers, pedestrians,

Zoning laws are forward-looking by nature. They require us to envision not only what the community needs today, but what it will need tomorrow, next year, and in years to come. As that picture changes and evolves, zoning must evolve along with it.

business owners, residents. In the course of the conversation, it’s been affirmed that we live in a community where living things like the pin oak are valued. That’s a good thing. Advocates have shaped the Complete Streets movement from its very roots. Ruth Finkelstein, an advocate for seniors, introduced me to a core concept of Complete Streets way back in 2012, when I interviewed her for a piece on age-friendly design initiatives in Manhattan: compound benefits for multiple groups. Finkelstein, who was then the senior vice president for planning a n d p o l i c y a t t h e N e w Yo r k Academy of Medicine, explained to me that designs intended to help older adults – including passive traff ic calming measures, like bump-outs – end up helping lots of other community members too. Think parents of young children, as well as the kids themselves. Think cyclists, pet owners and their pets, the disabled. In the short term, it can be hard to envision where changes in the built environment will lead. And we can envision the shortterm downside pretty easily: traffic disruptions, hassle, the loss of a beloved tree, fewer parking spots. But by adding passive trafficc a l m i ng me a su r e s to a bu s y street, Greenw ich is actually looking forward to a vision of its future that many stakeholders can share – and from which many will reap benefits. We can see it working in lots of other places, and soon we’ll see it work ing here. The bottom line: embrace change, stay engaged, and shape the future you want to see.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR PLANNER April 5

wich Ave. $85. Register.

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

10 a.m. ‘Café Franco-Américain’ Conversation in English and French. RSVP for Zoom link. sbenthal@aol.com

NEWCOMERS CLUB: greenwichnewcomers.org

Stamford Church of Christ, 1264 High Ridge Road, Stamford.

GREENWICH ROTARY CLUB: greenwichrotary.org April 7 12:15 p.m. Weekly Wednesday lunch meeting. Riverside Yacht Club, 102 Club Rd. The bell will ring at 12:15pm. Jackets for men are required. $30. UJA-JCC GREENWICH: ujajcc.org April 6 “Flowers for Friendship” - you can brighten someone’s day by buying colorful tulips through UJA-JCC Greenwich. All proceeds go to supporting vulnerable people locally and all around the world. Place your orders by Tuesday, April 6. ARCH STREET archstreet.org Virtual Yoga Takeover. 7th12th Grade. Every Tue. & Thu., 4-5pm Free. Online. Open Studio. 7th-12th Grade. Wednesday, by Appointment Only. Free. WELLNESS WEDNESDAY WORKSHOP: greenwichhospital.org/events April 7

April 1 9:30 a.m. Wellness Group - Spring Yoga for All. Online. $10 donation. Register.

Spring-themed floral workshop. Jenni Kayne, 271 Green-

TOWN AGENCIES MEETINGS: greenwichct.gov/ calendar April 1 11 a.m. FS Sustainability Committee. Via Zoom.

April 3 11 a.m. Walking Group: Tod’s Point. Meet at the first concession stand. Register.

11:30 a.m. BET Decision Day. Via Zoom. 7 p.m.

NAMI SOUTHWEST CT: namisouthwestct.org/online-support

Conservation Commission Regular Meeting. Via Zoom.

March 31 6:30 p.m. NAMI-CAN (Child and Adolescent Network) Online Support Group - for parents and primary caregivers of children and adolescents, under age 21, with behavioral and emotional issues (Every Wednesday). Free. Contact admin@namict.org for the meeting password.

7 p.m.

RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE: RedCrossBlood.org

7:30 p.m.

Budget Overview Committee Meeting. Via Zoom. April 5 10:30 a.m. Architectural Review Sign Meeting. Via Zoom. 7 p.m. Education Committee Meeting. Via Zoom. Finance Committee Meeting. Via Zoom.

April 5

7:30 p.m.

1:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Public Works Committee Meeting. Via Zoom.

Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, 90 Harding Rd, Old Greenwich.

8 p.m.

April 6 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

12 p.m.

April 8

Hilton Stamford Hotel & Executive Meeting Center, 1 First Stamford Place, Stamford.

52 HIGH

52 LOW

PRICE*

$77.37

$45.25

$75.35

Urstadt Biddle Properties Inc.

UBA

$18.62

$8.22

$16.65

ABCP

$0.45

$0.12

$0.26

EFC

$17.00

$3.68

$16.01

Fifth Street Asset Management Inc.

FSAM

$0.24

$0.01

$0.03

Hudson Pro

HSON

$18.27

$8.38

$16.60

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.

IBKR

$80.57

$36.25

$73.04

Oxford Lane Capital Corp.

OXLC

$6.95

$2.50

$6.30

Starwood Property Trust Inc.

STWD

$25.59

$8.55

$24.74

StoneRiver Inc.

SPNS

$35.85

$16.96

$31.79

Oxford Square Capital Corp.

OXSQ

$4.78

$2.10

$4.64

Townsquare Media Inc.

TSQ

$12.51

$4.02

$10.73

XPO Logistics Inc.

XPO

$131.42

$43.82

$123.30

* as of close of business 3/24/21

7 p.m.

8 a.m. District 6 Meeting. Via Zoom. 8:30 a.m. OPEB Trust Board Meeting. Via Zoom. 10 a.m. Board of Selectmen Meeting. Via Zoom. 7 p.m. District 12 Meeting. Via Zoom.

April 8 4 p.m. City Nature Challenge Educator Workshop. Via Zoom. Register.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m. District 3 Meeting. Via Zoom.

5:30, 6 & 6:30 p.m. Sensory-Friendly Evening. The Maritime Aquarium. Reduced admission: $17, adults; $15, seniors (65+); $12, children (3-12). Tickets to see a 4D Movie: $7/person. Purchase tickets in advance.

Transportation Committee Meeting. Via Zoom.

7:30 p.m. District 5 Meeting. Via Zoom.

CONNECTICUT’S BEARDSLEY ZOO: beardsleyzoo.org

8 p.m.

7:30 p.m. District 9 Meeting. Via Zoom.

Through April 6 “DAZZLE: A Garden of Glass” by glass artist Peter Greenwood - art show. Tickets must be purchased online ahead of time. Free for ages 2 & under; $10 for children under 12 and seniors 62+; and $15 for adults.

Health & Human Services Committee Meeting. Via Zoom. 7:30 p.m. Town Services Committee Meeting. Via Zoom.

Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting. Via Zoom. April 7 12 p.m. FS Re-Imagine Greenwich Meeting. Via Zoom. 3:30 p.m. FS Waste Management Committee Meeting. Via Zoom. 7 p.m. Architectural Review Committee Meeting. Via Zoom. 7 p.m. District 11 Meeting. Via Zoom.

8 p.m.

Legislative & Rules Committee Meeting. Via Zoom.

WRB

Ellington Financial LLC

Appointments Committee Meeting. Via Zoom.

8 p.m.

W.R. Berkley Corp. AmBase Corporation

7 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

GREENWICH INDEX SYMBOL

12 p.m. FS Diversity Advisory Committee Meeting. Via Zoom.

Land Use Committee Meeting. Via Zoom.

Local Public Company Market Watch COMPANY

April 6

April 5 11 a.m. Virtual Program: Meet the Turtles. Via Zoom. Ages 4-7. Suggested donation. Register.

District 8 Meeting. Via Zoom. District 4 Meeting. Via Zoom.

7:30 p.m. District 10 Meeting. Via Zoom. 7:30 p.m. District 8 Meeting. Via Zoom.

7:45 p.m. District 7 Meeting. Via Zoom. 8 p.m. District 1 Meeting. Via Zoom.

Our Neighboring Towns THE MARITIME AQUARIUM: maritimeaquarium.org April 2 11 a.m. Virtual Program: Fish Tales. Via Zoom. Ages 1-5. Suggested donation. Register.

LOCKWOOD-MATHEWS MANSION MUSEUM: lockwoodmathewsmansion.com Through June 4 The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum’s 8th Annual Young Writers’ Competition. Open to all middle school students 6th-8th grade in the Tristate area. Through June 4. 203-838-9799, ext. 6. education@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com

Editorial Page

Page 10 | Greenwich Sentinel

PUBLISHER Beth@GreenwichSentinel.com Elizabeth Barhydt

CARTOON

EDITORS & COPY EDITORS Editor@GreenwichSentinel.com Peter Barhydt, Daniel FitzPatrick, Stapley Russell, Anne W. Semmes

Ah, Spring…. March 20th was the first day of spring, or as it is known internationally, “vernal” equinox, the day when the sun passes over the Earth’s equator, and the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the sun for the next six months. It means longer and warmer days, as everything outside slowly wakes-up from its long winter nap. We are reminded of a fun quote from Ernest Hemingway “When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.” In one respect Hemingway was right, spring does make us happy. Perhaps it is because of the increase in daylight that spring always brings with it - a sense of renewal and optimism. After the cold gray winter, color begins to slowly reemerge and remind us that soon our town will be an oasis

The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself. of fragrant and beautiful flowers. Even now, the intersection of Post Road and North Maple Street by the Soldiers and Sailor’s Civil War Monument, is awakening with the tiny sprouts of yellow crocuses. Soon, North Street will be ablaze with daffodils and tulips. The longer days make it perfect to shake off the winter cobwebs and take a walk. Back in the 1970’s it seemed like we were always taking family walks. Every weekend, every holiday – as long as the weather permitted – whomever was home from school, friends that we could entice, and the family dogs would be loaded into the car and we would drive to the lake. There was a dirt road that led to a small private beach. We would park off to the side and walk the 2-mile-long road and talk and laugh and share stories. On the one hand, I wonder how we had so much to talk about every weekend back then. But we did, and now as grown children we share stories about the walks and can even recall some of the conversations. Very quickly I wonder on the other hand why we no longer take so many walks. The physical benefits are abundantly clear. Perhaps it is because we are all so tethered to our electronic devices or other commitments that it is hard to find the time. But find the time we must. We are incredibly fortunate in Greenwich because of the number of places where we can walk and explore. The town’s website lists 25 parks from Babcock Preserve to Williams Street Playground. Some are large enough that you can get lost hiking their trails (be careful and look at the trail map) and others afford a place to sit and watch the scenery. However, t he pa rk s l iste d a re on ly t he beginning. There is also the Audubon, Greenwich Land Trust, and Treetops State Park on the border with Stamford. All three are resources we should take advantage of, and each offers different experiences throughout the year. There are also other opportunities close by in New York state or elsewhere in Fairfield County that are worthy of exploration. The challenge is to take that first step. And that is exactly what we are going to do. We are going to stop looking down at our devices and look up at the world around us. We are going to gather our family, friends, and dogs, and head out for a walk this weekend. We are going to talk with one another and listen to one another. We are going to embrace what our town has to offer and celebrate being in the company of one another. We hope to see you out there too!

Residents Weigh-In on Town Budget By Richard Kaufman The Greenwich Board of Estimate and Taxation held a public hearing on the proposed $450.6 million budget for 2021-2022 on Monday night. Over the course of nearly three hours, residents gave input to the BET on the spending plan. The board was slated to approve a budget on Thursday, which would then go to the Representative Town Meeting for final adoption in May. JULIAN CURTISS SCHOOL Several residents spoke in favor of $1.7 million in funding for the design phase of the Julian Curtiss School ( JCS) renovation plan, which includes better ADA accessibility, essential security upgrades, common area space adjustments, a science room and two pre-K classrooms. Carolyn Peterson, whose children attend Old Greenwich School and Eastern Middle School, said work on JCS is critical for the community. "We need to bring our town schools up to par with today's elementary school standards. JCS is asking for the very same improvements we are asking for at Old Greenwich School, namely ADA accessibility, security and health and safety," Peterson said. "We need to make this commitment to our students and our town. To delay the JCS project will only delay the projects at seven other schools, and this should not be acceptable. This is why all of the schools have joined together as one united voice to support the JCS project." Jill Ernst, co-president of the JCS PTA, said the school should not remind her of her own New York City elementary school she attended over 30 years ago. It's time for an update. "I implore the BET to include the entire 2021-2022 BOE budget of $1.7 million to be allocated for the design of essential upgrades to JCS. There are no nice to have items on this list," Ernst added. "JCS has given families 75 years of wonderful elementary school memories, but the time has come to address the fact that the building has not undergone any significant renovations since 1946. Our children deserve access to quality 21st century learning instruction in safe and updated facilities." BIKE PATH STUDY Other residents urged the BET to include $100,000 in the budget for a study to look at constructing an East-West bicycle path across Town. Proponents said the path would provide many benefits to the community.

"A bike path will facilitate community interaction and encourage healthy habits which can lead to a better overall physical and mental well being. Further, more bikes on the road instead of cars improve the quality of our air, soil, and water," said Julie DesChamps, an RTM member from District 6 who also serves on the Greenwich Sustainability Committee. The committee has endorsed the study. "This is also a safety issue, as bikers now precariously share the roads instead of having a dedicated lane to reduce danger. A bike friendly community is a healthier, safer and more sustainable Greenwich," DesChamps added. Isabelle Harper, a junior a Greenwich High School, is a member of the school's Environmental Action Club. She said the tow n must move towa rds e co -f r iend ly transportation. "From increase in community desirability, to boosting local bik ing businesses and increasing eq u it y w ith a lter native a nd affordable transportation options, having safe and well thought out bike routes has countless benefits," Harper noted. "In addition, the health benefits of biking to school will help many students who don't have time for exercise otherwise, to bring in more activity into their lives."

Northwest, you can do it and do it quickly. We've built f ire stations before. We know what's involved. It starts with site surveys and architectural drawings, and proceeds to building. The Town could order them up tomorrow and break ground this year. Let's stop saying we aren't ready. Let's stop saying we need more information. We don't." GFD ASSISTANT CHIEF The Greenwich Fire Department wants to add a new Assistant Chief position which will focus on administration, but the addition could mean the subtraction of a Volunteer Recruitment and Retention position. David Walko, a volunteer district chief in town and president of the Greenwich Volunteer Chiefs Association, urged the BET to keep both positions. "As the fire services have changed over the years, our fire administration staff has stayed stagnant. In a very short time, [GFD] Chief [Joseph] McHugh and Assistant Chief [Brian] Koczak have embraced the volunteers and what they bring to the town of Greenwich. With that being said, it should not be in place of the volunteer recruitment and retention position," Walko said. "There is a true need and value in maintaining the only position dedicated to our volunteer ran k s. A s a volunteer chief, this position is vital as it works in concert with the fire administration and NORTHWEST FIRE STATION volunteer companies to bring in new members Although the recently completed town- and help with all of their certifications to keep wide f ire study that looked at response them as interior firefighters." times and fire services in town didn't see an immediate need for a new fire station in MUST-HAVES VS. Northwest Greenwich, residents still asked the NICE-TO-HAVES BET to include funding in the budget for one. Lucia Jansen, Chair of the RTM's Budget The study, done by outside consultant Overview Committee (BOC), said that the Matrix, said the station could be needed down BOC had asked the BET to adhere to its budget the road if there was more population growth guidelines which were crafted last fall. But and more calls coming in from the area. since then, she noted, the proposed spending The study recommended that the town add plan represents a "departure" f rom the career firefighters to the Round Hill station to guidelines. improve response times. "The economic conditions from four Joanna Swomley, an RTM member from months ago have not merited the major District 10, called Northwest Greenwich a departure from the guidelines your entire "ticking time bomb," and said it's only a matter board unanimously approved," Jansen said. of time before someone who can't get out of "This is a time to concentrate on the musta burning building due to injury or disability haves, and to defer the nice-to-haves. This is dies. The need for a Northwest station is now, the time to prioritize and move what can be she said. postponed to the following year. We ask that "This is the third time constituents have you think of the diverse community of young come before you in the last three months alone families, senior citizens, and residents who to ask that you put money in the budget to have lost their jobs or wage cuts." protect us from fire and other emergencies. The BET was slated to decide on its Still, you have not allocated a dime for the r e c om m e nde d bud ge t on T hu r s d ay. I f professional NW engine company that every approved, the spending plan would go to the single expert says we need," Swomley said. RTM, who will have the final say at its May "If you wanted to solve the problem in the meeting.

LETTER

Opposed to the Loughlin Park Proposal

As a concerned resident I strongly object to the proposals for a reconfiguration of Loughlin Park presented in the Athletic Field Study/ Capital Improvement Plan that the Department of Parks and Recreation released February 5, 2021. Without consulting local residents who value their vibrant neighborhood green space, the town paid an external consulting firm$75,000 to suggest revamping the area with exclusionary fences, paved parking lots, a splash pad, and a concession stand to serve the possible future needs of organized sports. The “Town of Greenwich Athletic Field Study Capital Plan 2020” reflects a recklessly inappropriate vision for the future of Loughlin Playground and Park since its proposals conflict with the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development and Open Space Plan as well as residential respect for environmental preservation. This ”sports only” plan is a mindboggling travesty and needs to be stricken from all master plans. Loughlin Park is nestled in a family neighborhood a block from the center of Cos Cob and is the only local recreational area that is sidewalk accessible from Cos Cob’s village commercial center. The open green space attracts walkers, strollers, children, joggers, and dog owners for informal exercise and social interaction. Currently the park boasts two tennis courts, two paddle courts, adapted pickle ball courts, a baseball field, a playground, a basketball practice area, picnic tables and ample open lawn space where various soccer groups conduct practices and games. In addition to the designated ares people use the park for football, softball, yoga, bicycling, sledding, cross country skiing, sprints and casual gatherings. Children, whose homes are not on school bus routes, walk through the park safely on their way to GHS,

Central, and Cos Cob. Commuters cut through the park on their way to or from work. The park’s proximity to so many houses lends the neighborhood a safe, cohesive camaraderie which would disappear if blacktop, fencing, and a commercial enterprise invaded. Before any transformative alteration of the park could be seriously considered, the negative environmental impact must be recognized. Loughlin Avenue branches from Strickland Rd. on a coastal/tidal f lood plain across from the Mill Pond Basin. The park sits below the FEMA Flood Plain, and it becomes virtually marshland when there is a prolonged rainy period. Serious, expensive topographical changes and tidal f lood water management measures would be necessary before even thinking of adding impermeable parking surfaces above the soil. The elevated ledge on the north side of the park which the children call “The Mountain” would have to be removed further changing the land conf iguration, removing shade areas and altering wind patterns that affect the field’s temperature. The department of Parks and Recreation’s director Joseph Siciliano sponsored this study at the behest of a group of commercial and amateur sports organizations, who are lobbying for more specialized athletic fields. Although Mr. Siciliano’s title includes both parks and recreation, he has ignored the parks element of his job by eliminating consultation with neighbors and residents who utilize the park. Our taxes contribute to his salary as well as park maintenance, but apparently consideration of our opinions about park usage are outside of his purview. When a group of irate residents voiced objections, he refused to expunge this outrageously inappropriate and impractical plan from the records. Apparently his budget is largely discretionary, which may

deserve review. He endorsed this fatuous study, yet he took more than a year to pay attention to the removal of dangerous hanging limbs and dead trees in the southwest corner of the park where children play and ride bikes daily. The same area supported the growth and expansion of a poison ivy patch from July of 2019 through at least November of 2020. No visible attempts were made to treat or remove the dangerous plants. Loughlin Park is a treasured neighborhood resource and deserves proper, attentive maintenance. Subjecting it to a costly partisan study rather than paying attention to safe upkeep indicates a lapse of responsible judgment on the part of departmental leadership. Residents of the Loughlin Park area have banded together as a community to reiterate our request for the removal of the ill-conceived and inappropriate concept plans for Loughlin Park as shown in the Athletic Field Study/ Capital Improvement Plan 2020. We have garnered over a hundred residents’ signatures in support of the excision of this segment of the published document. Obviously the hired consultant was given poor direction with a lack of pragmatic guidelines to come up with a series of drastic alterations that would change the character of a treasured neighborhood. The Department of Parks and Recreation should not be authorized any further funding for this park beyond regular planting, seeding, cutting, repairing, and regular vegetative improvements. Should the Department wish to consider any changes, it should work with the Loughlin Park Community which is dedicated to the protection and appropriate enhancement of Loughlin Park. I urge you to give this matter serious attention as it affects the health and well being of many residents. Yours sincerely, Susan Mulvey Rattray

Page 11 | Greenwich Sentinel

Town Updates by Richard Kaufman

Proposal Presented on Affordable Housing Trust Fund As debate continues around several proposed zoning bills at the state level that focus on affordable housing, Greenwich continues to seek a local solution. Un d e r t h e 8 - 3 0 g s t a t e s t a t u t e , Greenwich has not yet achieved the 10% af fordable housing mandate. Last week, Chair of the Planning & Zoning Commission, Margarita Alban, recommended to the Board of Selectmen using a trust fund to reach that 10% mark. "We believe that financial support can facilitate the development or purchase of additional affordable units, renovation of existing affordable units, and potentially enhance affordability of existing units," Alban said. Funds would be allocated to developers or Greenwich Communities (formerly known as the Greenwich Housing Authority) for such projects. "We believe that a fund can facilitate development consistent with Greenwich land use patterns."

The idea for a trust fund similar to this was first proposed to the Representative Town Meeting in 1988, but it was tabled. A year later, the 8-30g affordable housing statute was approved requiring Greenwich to meet the 10% affordable housing goal. The trust fund would come at no cost to the town. Alban said the language is being written so that it can be funded by private donations and grants. However, in the future, she indicated that the town may consider some sort of development fee, as other nearby towns are doing. Aseven-member Board of Trustees would manage the trust, consisting of two members from the public appointed by the Board of Selectmen/RTM "who have experience in affordable housing or the housing market so they can add to the depth and knowledge of the group" Alban said. Two members would come from the Board of Estimate and Taxation -- one

being the majority leader, and the other the minority leader for the BET. Alban said those members will be important because of the spending and expenditure financing decisions that will have to be made. The Town's Planning & Zoning Director and Human Services Director would also be on the board. The Town Comptroller would be the fiduciary custodian, Alban said. "We think this is super important. You have to have very strong internal controls when you're managing what could become a significant amount of money." "We would require a supermajority of five votes for the board to approve projects," Alban said, noting that an annual report would be issued on all activities. But the Planning & Zoning Commission would still have to approve any projects that go before the trustees. A l b a n's p r o p o s a l t o t h e B o a r d

of Selectmen comes on the heels of controversial public hearings in Hartford around proposed zoning bills. Recently, First Selectman Fred Camillo issued testimony on SB-1024: "I cannot state in strong enough terms that one size fits all, Hartford driven mandates that weaken local control of authority is both not needed and potentially very dangerous,” he said last month. Ca m i l lo adde d i n h is test i mony that the “worthy goals” of social equity and af fordable housing can best be accomplished through local authorities. Sam Romeo, Chair of the Greenwich Communities Board of Commissioners, said during last week's Board of Selectmen meet i ng t hat Greenw ich shou ld b e commended for its efforts in trying to address affordable housing issues. He indicated that this latest trust fund proposal should be widely approved, unlike

the original idea that crumbled in 1988. Planning & Zoning must first approve the language, then the Board of Selectmen needs to grant its approval before it goes to the RTM for their consideration. "They've come up with an excellent solution to a lot of our problems," Romeo said. "I believe it will sail through the RTM once the Board of Selectmen approves this. I'm grateful and pleased to see we're moving forward into the 21st century with some ideas that would make Greenwich even greater than it already is. I'm proud to be part of it." Alban said she'd be "overjoyed" if the RTM approves the trust fund at its June meeting, but it's unlikely since the elected body rarely votes after a first read. Since they do not meet in July or August, Alban said September is the earliest an approval can realistically be expected.

Town to Implement Merchant Parking Program Pig g yback ing of f of the recently approved residential parking permit program, Greenwich is now implementing a similar plan for merchants and employees in the downtown shopping district to free up spaces on Greenwich Avenue and quell parking problems that have plagued the town for years. Last week, the Board of Selectmen v o t e d 2 -1 t o a p p r o v e t h e C e n t r a l Greenwich Merchant Parking Program. Camillo and Selectperson Lauren Rabin voted to approve, while Oberlander voted against the proposal, although she said she supports it. Under the program, 100 annual parking permits will be provided to merchants or employees so they could park in any of the

Laubscher From Page 1

played sports in high school, but I actually quit all my sports to lift weights,” he recalls. L a u b s c h e r b e g a n we i g h t training at the Greenwich YMCA several years ago. He worked with a trainer, and became interested i n compet i ng as h is t ra i n i ng progressed. “I’ve been training for a long time, and it was always kind of like, ‘No, I need to hit a certain weight before I can compete,’”

10 designated long-term, 12-hour parking lots, instead of feeding the limited, two-hour spaces on Greenwich Avenue. The freed-up spaces could then be used by people coming into the downtown area who are looking to shop or dine. "This is the most recent effort to try to make a little improvement to the downtown parking situation. We're continuing to chip away at things here a little bit at a time," said Greenwich Police Department Deputy Chief Mark Marino, who also heads the Parking Services Department. "It's really an expansion of the merchant program that we have in place [in town] and have had in place for many years. Most recently, the expansion of the Lafayette lot parking permit program, which has been very

he says. “But I finally just said, ‘you know, I’m just going to find a competition that’s close by, and I’m just going to try it out.’” That event was the Connecticut Spring Classic, which took place in Derby, CT on March 6. “It’s just an open event,” says Laubscher. “Anyone can sign up and pay the entrance fee and compete.” Powerlif ting is a streng th sport in which athletes train and compete to lif t their heaviest weig ht . Weig hte d plate s a r e added to a barbell, and the athlete must lift the weight unassisted. There are three successive events

NEWS BRIEFS From Page 1

Of those, 22 werelisted as students, 3 as teachers, 1 as an administrator, and 2 as non-teaching staff. Nine of those cases were listed from Greenwich High, four from Eastern Middle School, four from Cos Cob, and two each from New Lebanon, Parkway, Riverside, and Western Middle. In addition, North Mianus, North Street, and Windrose each were listed to have one. CT BACK IN THE “RED ZONE” Connecticut is back in the “red zone” after increased rates of COVID-19 spread. Last week, CT was in the orange zone and up to 10-24 daily new cases. We now have 25+ daily cases per 100,000 people, indicating unchecked community spread. LEGISLATION PASSES TO RELAX OUTDOOR DINING On Thursday, March 25, the CT House of Representatives unanimously voted to approve legislation to relax outdoor dining restrictions. Municipalities will be able to enforce permanent changes to zoning rules in order to expand outdoor dining availability through March 31, 2022. PRE-APPLICATION RECEIVED FOR NEW PEMBERWICK PRIVATE SCHOOL The Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission is reviewing a pre-application for a new private school at 200 Pemberwick Road. The Cedar School, the proposed private school, is a co-ed day school that

RED CROSS From Page 1

long as I can remember and my dad has been a life-long blood donor, every 56 days!” Butler said via email. “When I told them I was interested in joining the board of the MYN Chapter, they could not have b e e n m or e p r oud . A l s o, a s someone who helps develop oncology drugs, I understand the impor tance and cr itica l need for blood donations.” Wa l k e r e c h o e d t h a t sentiment: “I hold the American Red Cross and its mission close to my heart. I

successful. We're hoping to kind of mirror and mimic that and bring it to a greater area of the downtown shopping district." One hundred permits, costing $720 each, will be valid for one year, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, but will be prorated based on the month issued. If more than 100 people apply, a lottery system will be used. "I rea lly th in k th is prog ra m for merchants and employees will be much more robust, and people will really look at it as a great incentive to allow for another parking option," Marino said. The permits will not be renewable each year. Applicants will have to provide proof of employment within certain boundaries of the established zone for the program. "I think this is a great proposal," said

From Page One

d e s i g n e d to t a r g e t d i f fe r e nt muscle groups. Those events are the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift. In the squat event, the lifter begins with the barbell positioned on the shoulders, behind the neck. Hoisting the weight off the rack, the lifter bends his or her knees and hips, dipping to a deep squat position, then returns to a standing position, returning the weight to the rack at the referee’s command. In the bench press event, the lifter raises the barbell upward from the chest, then returns it. And in the deadlift event, the athlete must

First Selectman Fred Camillo after Marino's presentation. "It's something that's been an issue for a long time in the central business district. It's one of the options we're looking at to chip away at this problem and make it easier for people to shop and dine in our downtown area. One hundred spaces is a big deal." Selectperson Jill Oberlander voiced support for the program and urged Marino to compile a year-end report to summarize for residents all of the changes that have been made in town to parking programs. But Oberlander said she'd rather vote on the item at the next scheduled Board of Selectmen meeting to allow for public comment and feedback in the interim. She said it was not an "emergency

lift the weight from the ground in front of him. “ Yo u g e t t h r e e a t t e m p t s to h it you r heav iest weig ht,” Laubscher explains. “The judges are watching your form, and so a good attempt means you can go higher. And if you missed, or you have something where your form falls apart, then you have to try the same weight again.” Laubscher competed against some 40 people at the event, five in his weight 93 kg weight class. The entrants came from all over the U.S., with most hailing from Connecticut and surrounding

states including Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey. Laubscher says his best event is the bench press. In competition, he lifted 140kg, or 320lbs, in the bench press event. In the classroom, Laubscher stays focused on the fourth-grade curriculum. But like any good teacher, he uses real-life events to provide teachable moments. He says his students were thrilled that he won. “They were really excited,” he says. And, like any good teacher, Laubscher found a teachable moment in his journey to get ready and compete: “I used

serves students grades 9-12 and offers a college preparatory program for students with “mild-moderate language based learning differences such as dyslexia, and challenges with dyscalculia, dysgraphia, executive functioning, auditory processing, and ADHD”.

Connecticut this past year. White f lags will be planted on the church’s campus as a part of this memorial. FCCOG invites the community to join and participate in the memorial ritual. Flags and markers will be available every day from 9:00 am-7:00 pm from March 29 to April 4.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND

GHS OUTREACH CLUB HOLDS CLOTHING AND TEXTILE DRIVE

At last week's Board of Selectmen meeting, Planning and Zoning commission chair Margarita Alban introduced a potential “Affordable Housing Trust Fund” ordinance. The trust would have a 7-member board of trustees - 2 would be appointed by the Selectman and approved by the RTM, 2 would be BET members, and the last three would be the Town Planning Director, Human Services Director, and a P&Z commission member. Projects that go before the trust would still need to be approved. GREENWICH BOTANICAL CENTER NATIVE HABITAT LECTURE SERIES The Greenwich Botanical Center will be presenting two events as part of their Native Habitat Virtual Lecture Series. On March 31, Andy Chapin, Greenwich Land Steward, will be discussing deer resistant tips for the upcoming spring season. On April 7, Sarah Coccaro, Conservation Resource Manager, will discuss ways to use vegetation to deter pests. Visit greenwichbotanicalcenter.org FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF GREENWICH REINSTALLS COVID-19 MEMORIAL The First Congregational Church of Greenwich will be reinstalling its COVID-19 memorial in memory of the lives lost in

am proud to support a charity k n ow i n g t h a t e ve r y d o l l a r given is put to good use,” she said. “On a personal note, I am also proud to donate blood, knowing that it can help save up to three lives.” A pre-event, hosted by Red Cross chapter boards in both Met ro New York Nor t h a nd Long Island, w ill take place f rom 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST. The Main Prog ram for Heroes for Humanity will start at 7:00 p.m. Guests will be able to enter a 360-degree Mission Impact Room to learn more about the life-saving functions the American Red Cross prov ides i n t he com mu n it y every day.

The NFL will receive the Corporate Leadership Award; Carolina Herrera will receive t h e H u m a n i t a r i a n Aw a r d ; and the Excellence in Service Awa rd go e s to U. S. M a r i ne Com b at Ve te ra n M ich ael J. Jordan. The Metro New York North Event will feature an online photo booth, as well as a Q&A b e t we e n t h e E xc e l l e n c e i n Ser v ice Honoree M ichael J. Jordan, U.S. Marine Combat Veteran, and his spouse, Lynne M. Jordan. The emcee will be Suni Unger. Via email, event co-chairs Olivia Walker and Leah Butler said they were excited to see how the event came together

Throughout the month of April, the GHS Outreach Club will be holding its annual spring clothing and textile drive to raise money for The Harris Project - an organization that brings awareness to teen substance misuse and mental health challenges. Green donation bins will be located at the GHS back parking lot and at the Arch Street Teen Center. Community members are encouraged to donate clothes, shoes, belts, bags, accessories, towels, and linens in any condition. DISCOUNTED BEACH CARD FEES AND DOGS AT THE BEACH Make sure to renew your park pass for the 2021 season! If you renew your beach card pass before April 15, you can save $5. The current fee for an annual adult pass is $35, and will increase to $40 after April 15. As an additional reminder, dogs will not be permitted at the town's beaches after Wednesday, March 31. GREENWICH OFFERS NEW PARKING PERMITS The Town of Greenwich has put in place a new program that will provide parking permits to business owners and their employees. The yearly permits will cost despite the challenges of the pandemic year. In addition to its work c ol le c t i ng a nd d i st r i but i ng donated blood to those in need, the American Red Cross works to alleviate human suffering and prov ides disaster relief in the wake of emergencies such as storms, f ires and earthquakes. Natural disasters continued unabated despite the COVID-19 pandemic, so the Red Cross’s mission was more important than ever. So what is a v ir tua l 5K ? To participate, supporters can register online with the Red Cross, then complete a 5K (or 3.1 mile) run or walk at their

situation," and that it would be prudent to get input from the community first. Camillo understood, but he pointed to warmer weather and outdoor dining as reasons why the permit program should be approved as soon as possible. Marino concurred, saying it would be more beneficial for Parking Services to have a quick approval so the process of accepting and processing applications can begin. "This is something we keep hearing all the time, that we want parking freed up. Having the employees feed the meters has been an issue for a long time. I don't see any opposition to this. I don't think anyone is going to complain that we're going to be freeing up parking on the Avenue," Camillo said.

it as an example of working hard a nd persevera nce.” He pla ns to comp ete aga i n , i n Aug u st and November. As with most events right now, COVID had a slightly disruptive effect on the Connecticut Spring Classic. In past years, the winners wou ld h ave b e e n aw a r de d a trophy at the event, but Laubscher will have to wait for his to come in the mail. “Usually, they come and give it to you, and they’ll take your picture at the podium,” he says. “But we had to run out of there, so it’s coming in the mail.”

$720 and will be valid until December 31. Under this change, permit holders will be able to park in 12-hour parking spaces in municipal lots. However, there is a limit of 100 permits, and if there are over 100 applicants, a lottery will be held. COVID-19 VACCINE UPDATE: It has been announced that starting April 1, Connecticut residents 16 and older will be able to register for the COVID-19 vaccine. With more residents becoming eligible for vaccines, you can obtain more information or schedule a vaccine at ct.gov/coronavirus. NORTH MIANUS SCHOOL UPDATE During the Board of Education’s Thursday meeting, there was a unanimous vote for an interim appropriation of $8.1 million for North Mianus School to begin construction work. It is anticipated that the project will not be complete in time for the beginning of the 2021 school year, and students may need to be placed at an alternative site next fall. GREENWICH HIGH SCHOOL UPDATES Greenwich High School has added additional outdoor seating and picnic tables to accommodate social distancing outdoors as the weather warms up. In addition to this, there is discussion regarding a potential live graduation ceremony at Cardinal Stadium this June. There has also been approval granted for “some form of prom”. Although these events will most likely not look like they have in the past, students and faculty remain optimistic.

ow n pace, any time throug h April 19, 2021. Participants are encouraged to post on social media and tag the American R e d C r o s s ( Tw i t t e r a n d Instag ram: @redcrossny; F a c e b o o k : “A m e r i c a n Red Cross in Greater N e w Yo r k ” ) a n d u s e t h e h a s h t a g s #R u n f o r R e d a n d #RunforHumanity. The cost to participate i n $2 5 for a n i nd iv idua l or $100 for a family/team of five. The run will raise money in supp or t of t he Re d Cr o s s’s m i s sion , a s wel l a s ra i si ng aw a r e ne s s of t he work t he organization does. The v ir tual event also

features a f lower workshop, sponsored by J Bella Favors. Participants who reg ister for Flowers for a Cause will receive fresh f lowers, a glass vase and ever y thing they need to create a beautif ul arrangement, as well as a virtual class. A portion of the proceeds of the $95 reg istration fee w ill benef it the Heroes for Humanity fundraiser event. Deliveries will be made on April 19, 2021 and the virtual class will be held on April 20, 2021. Local deliver y is available w ithin 15 miles of Stamford, CT, or budd i n g f lor i s t s m ay pickup their f loral package in Stamford.

Page 12 | Greenwich Sentinel

Kristian Thompsen

June 16, 1969 – March 28, 2021 Kristian T. Thompsen (K.T.) was born in Greenwich, CT, on June 16, 1969 to Kenneth and Mady (Madeleine) Thompsen and spent his life in Greenwich. He was the brother of Kenneth T. Thompsen, Jr., and Katie Thompsen Douglass (Keith) and the loving uncle of Kenneth T. Thompsen, III, and Kylie, Kolbie, and Kamren Douglass. He attended Parkway School, Western Junior High, Greenwich High School, and New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire. Kristian spent his career as an electrician, being a member of IBEW Local 501/3, and worked for his father’s electrical construction company, Thompsen Electric. KT was an avid hunter and fisherman. His most proud hunts were of a trophy black bear and many white tail deer. He loved deep sea fishing with his friends aboard “Last Minute” and “Freedom” where they competed in tournaments and won many, and most notably, the Montauk Marine Basin Shark Tag Tournament multiple times aboard “Freedom.” Kristian was loved and will be missed by his family and many friends. A celebration of his life will be sometime this spring. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations in his name to be made to the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich or St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

John Squillace

John A. Squillace, a lifelong Greenwich resident, passed away on March 25 at the age of 89. He was born on June 23, 1931 to Catherine (Gattuso) and Frank Squillace, part of the first set of triplets in Greenwich Hospital. John attended St. Mary's Grammar School in Greenwich, CT and graduated from Greenwich High School in 1949. An avid baseball player, John joined The Pittsburgh Minor League Tallahassee Pirates in 1950. He enlisted in the US Navy in 1951 and served honorably for two years. In 1958, he met the love of his life Catherine Carlin and happily married in 1959. John owned and operated John Squillace Sheet Metal and Roofing Company for many years after. John, affectionately known as 'Moose' or 'Coach,' coached the Bruce Park Sports and the Byram Vets in the Junior and Senior Babe Ruth Leagues in Greenwich for many

years. There was not a player that he didn't mentor on and off the field. In addition to coaching, John was a member at the Griff Golf course and loved the game of golf and chess. When he wasn't coaching or playing golf, he was volunteering at the Greenwich Hospital. John received the Presidential Award for his 4,000 hours and years of volunteer service. John had a passion for music and singing, he taught himself the guitar, harmonica, and accordion. He combined his passions for giving back and music by being the founder of the Holly Hill Tones, a singing group that would travel to local nursing homes and entertain the residents. John is survived by his loving wife Catherine, his brother Paul, his triplet sister Minnie Mellor, and numerous nieces and nephews, especially Scott and Colleen Nastahowski, David Sottosanti, and Maryanne Bria whose care and compassion is greatly appreciated. He was predeceased by his parents, siblings; Anthony, James, Nellie, Angelina Dadamo, nephew Mark Mellor and greatniece Rachel Sottosanti. A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Wednesday, March 31 at St. Mary's Church in Greenwich. Interment followed at St. Mary's Cemetery, Greenwich. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Loy Fairclough, Jr.

Loy Fairclough Jr., beloved husband, father, son, brother and friend, died on March 21, 2021, surrounded by his family, after a three-month health battle, at the age of 48. L oy w a s b or n on Ju ne 19, 19 7 2 , in Brooklyn, NY, and grew up in the community of Mount Vernon, NY. He graduated from Mount Vernon High School, and later studied ceramic engineering from Penn State University, where in 1992 he met his wife, Jennifer Farrington, with whom he spent the remainder of his life. Loy worked as a club promoter and daytrader, but his favorite role was caring for Margeaux, his beloved 6-year-old daughter who he shared with his wife Jennifer. Loy will perhaps be best remembered for his intelligence, his "larger than life" personality, his sense of fun and excitement, and for being the center of every party he attended. He also loved spending time outside in the fresh air and taking walks and bike rides in his beloved home community of Greenwich, CT, but the joy of his life was caring for his daughter, Margeaux. L oy w a s p r e c e d e d i n d e a t h b y grandparents Satyra Lindsay, Constantine Fairclough, Daphne K ing-Darby and Lorenzo Frankson. He is survived by his wife, Jennifer, their daughter Margeaux; parents Loleta and Loy "Jack" Fairclough Sr.; brother Donovan "DV" Fairclough; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. The family will receive friends at Fred D. Knapp & Sons Funeral Home at 267

OBITUARIES

Greenwich Ave., Greenwich on Wednesday, March 31, from 4-8 p.m. A funeral service will take place at Christ Church Greenwich at 254 E. Putnam Avenue, Greenwich on Thursday, April 1, at 2 p.m. A college fund has been established for Loy and Jennifer's daughter, Margeaux, who is just 6 years old. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make contributions can send checks made payable to Jennifer Farrington to: Christopher Schumacher, TSG Advice Partners, 349 West Nationwide Boulevard, Columbus, OH 43215-2311.

Dana Henderson

Dana Marie Henderson passed away peacefully on March 20, 2021 at Prisma Greenville Memorial Hospital in Greenville, SC. Dana was born in Greenwich, CT on Dec. 25, 1955 to James and Ann Aylward. She graduated Greenwich High School in 1973. She was previously employed at State National Bank in Stamford, CT and AMAX in Greenwich, CT. She is survived by her husband of 41 years David Henderson of Greenville, SC (formerly of Greenwich, CT), her sons Christopher of Greenville, SC and Bryan (Whitley) of Yuma, AZ. She also leaves behind her sisters Debbie Nielson of Stamford, CT, Diane Yelton of Milwaukee, WI, Bonnie Summers of Norwalk, CT. and her brother Rick Summers of Old Greenwich, CT. She also leaves behind 7 grandchildren, who she adored. Dana was predeceased by her mother Ann Summers, her father James Aylward, her step-father Richard Summers and her step mother Mary Jane Aylward as well as her sister Dawn Manis and most recently her oldest son Michael Henderson. Dana was always thought of as a loving, caring and compassionate woman that accepted the little things in life as being most important, as was her devotion to family and friends. She loved music, an active fireplace and her candles. Her greatest passion was her playing with her grandchildren and going to the pool. Despite her mobility issues she would always engage to the best of her ability. The family would like to thank NHC in Mauldin for their caring and compassionate care and the staff of nurses and doctors at ICU Prisma Greenville Memorial for their professional and loving care during her last hours. A memorial service will take place for family and friends at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a memorial donation be made to the Wounded Warriors Project in her name.

Nancy Ross Nancy Ross, treasured daughter of Gilford and Marian (Vogdes) Windes, was born on Jan. 6, 1928, in Evanston, Ill., and spent her childhood years in nearby Glencoe and Winnetka. She enjoyed school and graduated in the top 5% of her class at New Trier High School and was awarded her Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.

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While working during the summer at Northwestern University, Nancy met and fell in love with William Ross. They married a month after her graduation, on July 2, 1949. Nancy and Bill adopted three children: Dona ld, now of Bra ndon, Ver mont, Jeanne, who with her husband Jim are in Waterbury, Vt., and Margie of New Milford, CT. These children blessed them with four grandchildren: Sean Ross, who with his wife Alice lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand; Jessy Ross with her partner Mason who are residing in Greenville, NC; Jenny Vallinaggi, who with her partner Sarah reside in Salem, NH; and Jamie Atchinson of Waterbury, Vt. Nancy and Bill also have a great-grandson, Jason Sylvester in Greenville, NC. After her marriage to Bill, Nancy enjoyed working part-time for a Winnetka bank. Then, after having moved to Cos Cob, Connecticut, she decided to volunteer as a Nurse's Aide while the kids were growing up, first beginning in 1957 in Connecticut, and again after 1964 in Burlington, Vermont. Here, as a new resident of Burlington, Nancy found herself enjoying her time with other community members creating a comprehensive library for the Adams Elementary School. In 1970, after having moved to Riverside, CT in 1969, she was employed by the Educational Testing Service and then by Analytical Systems in Stamford, CT, jobs that she said she took so that she could buy her own car, a Volkswagen SuperBeetle in 1973. In 1972, Nancy accepted a position at Merrill Ly nch in dow ntow n New York, in its personal financial planning department. This led her into designing broker compensation plans, which she particularly enjoyed. During that time, she also completed a graduate-level course in financial planning. She retired from Merrill as an Assistant Vice President in 1992. After her retirement, Nancy's love of birds and wildflowers naturally led her to serve proudly as treasurer of the Greenwich Audubon Society for over ten years, as well as becoming the volunteer assistant to the science curator of the Bruce Museum in Greenwich for many years. Bill and Nancy together took fifteen Earthwatch and Elderhostel trips to a dozen countries, most of them in Europe including Scotland, England, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Sicily. It was said that Nancy wouldn't choose a favorite. How could she? They all created precious memories. In 2005, Nancy and Bill moved into an apartment in the Wake Robin Life Plan Retirement Community in Shelburne, Vt., where they made many good friends. During quiet times, Nancy could be found puzzling over the New York Times crosswords or sudoku challenges. Other times, she'd be out walking with her friends. She joyfully pursued her great interest in wildflowers by identifying and marking over 70 species of them along Wake Robin's woodsy trails that many people will forever enjoy on selfguided walks. At the end of the summer, 2020, Nancy and Bill moved into the Linden Community of Wake Robin. During the winter, they celebrated their 93rd and 97th birthdays respectively. Nancy passed away quietly from natural causes on March 16. The entire Ross Family would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone at Wake Robin for all that they have done to keep Nancy and Bill safe and well cared for, especially throughout this first year of our CoVid-19 pandemic. Memorial contributions could be sent to The Wake Robin Employee Assistance Fund, Terri O'Brien, Business Operations Manager, 200 Wake Robin Drive, Shelburne, VT 05482.

Andrew Kittell

He was extremely close with his wife and children, self lessly supporting the passions of each and drawing his own joy from theirs. They were everything to him. He loved each immensely and lived each moment for their benefit. He graduated from St. George's School, Claremont McKenna College and Columbia Business School, where he met his wife, Luan. After Business School, Andrew joined Bear Stearns in New York, where he rose to Senior Managing Director, before continuing on at J.P. Morgan Chase in New York and Houston. He and his family have lived in New York, NY, Darien, CT, Houston, TX, and Coronado, CA. He is survived by his loving family; his wife, Luan Troxel and their sons Hugo and Ares; his father, Donald and wife, Betsy Swanhaus; his brother, Robert, sister-inlaw, Courtnay, niece, Cameron, and nephew, Harrison; his sister-in-law, Dyann Rupp, and husband, Mark; his niece Ink Rorshach, and countless close friends around the world. He was predeceased by his mother, Mary, his brother, Reid, and his nephew, Ryan. Andrew's greatest joy in life was spending time with Luan, Hugo, Ares and his giant dog, Sully. Andrew was loved deeply and will be sorely missed. A private memorial will be scheduled when Covid-19 allows in Greenwich, CT.

Graham Jones

Graham Ely Jones, 88, died at Newbury Court in Concord, MA in the company of his son, Graham E. Jones, Jr., early in the morning of March 21, 2021. He was the beloved husband for 59 years of the late Annie Landry Jones, who died in September of 2019. Graham was born as Graham Jones, Jr. on Jan. 31, 1933 as the first child of Mr. & Mrs. Graham Jones of Farmington, Connecticut. He attended the Kingswood School, then Kent School, Phillips Exeter Academy, and Princeton, and then served as a Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps from 1955 to 1957, before marrying Anne Fryer Landry of West Hartford, CT on Sept. 17, 1960. He worked at W.E. Hutton on Wall Street before joining Burnham & Co., and later becoming CFO of that company as Drexel Burnham Lambert. During that time, Graham and Annie moved from Manhattan to Greenwich, Connecticut with their two daughters for the birth of their son. Graham was a formidable athlete for most of his life, contributing to his and Annie’s popularity there. In 1979, the family moved to Beacon Hill, where Graham pursued various business interests. He and Annie made many great friends in Boston before moving in 1997 to Taos, then Santa Fe, NM where Graham was a partner at BGK Properties. During this time, Graham was on the board of numerous mutual funds for Morgan Stanley Asset Management, Weiss Peck & Greer, Sun Life of Toronto, and through Morgan Grenfell’s transition to Deutsche Bank Asset Management/DWS. Then, in 2007, Graham and Annie moved to Lincoln, MA to be closer to their two grandchildren in Concord and to reconnect with their wonderful friends on the East Coast. 2008 brought Graham and Annie to Newbury Court in Concord, where Graham went through a distinctly new phase of his life being a devoted caregiver to Annie and making, once again, so many great friends through his indomitable spirit and generous appreciation of others. Graham is survived by his children, Margaret I. Jones, Alden Jones Perkins, and Graham E. Jones, Jr., and his grandchildren David and Jack Perkins, as well as his sister, Judy Jones Babcock of Old Saybrook, CT. Due to COVID restrictions, the private funeral service will be live streamed from Duvall Chapel, Newbury Court, Concord, MA on Wednesday, April 7 at 3 pm. In lieu of f lowers, tax-deductible contributions in his memory may be made payable to “NEDA” to support the Newbury Court Resident Scholarship Fund, c/o New England Deaconess Association, 80 Deaconess Road, Concord, MA 01742.

Andrew West Kittell, of Coronado, CA, died Jan. 6, 2021. Andrew was born in Greenwich, CT on Nov. 11, 1970. Andrew was a devoted husband, father, son, brother, uncle, and friend. Andrew was kind, gentle and beloved for his good nature and generous spirit by all who knew him personally. He was quick to laugh and had an infectious sparkle in his eye, a genuine joie de vivre. He was always active, seeking adventure on ski slopes or surf breaks, training his large dogs to tow him at high speeds on his RipStik, road tripping to national parks, playing ice hockey, Obit u ar ie s m ay be submit ted to bouncing his ubiquitous racquetballs off of Caroll@GreenwichSentinel.com and are any available flat surface, or simply engaging free, courtesy of the Greenwich Sentinel in a spirited game of Hearts with his family. Foundation. Andrew was mathematically inclined and always enjoyed solving challenging puzzles and playing games of all types.

Page 13 | Greenwich Sentinel

ON FAITH

The Slopes of Humility By Dan Haugh I found myself on the “magic carpet” gliding ever so slowly up the beginner hill at Thunder Ridge Mountain in New York. Standing there surrounded by toddlers on skis feeling completely unsure of myself and my ability to make it down to stop before crashing into the protective barriers. How did I end up here, and why is instructor Tom eyeing me with apprehension? My answer was found in the presence of eight-year old boys standing next to me whom happened to be my sons. Let me explain. I grew up in New Hampshire but never learned how to ski. I did however make one feeble and very

unsuccessful attempt to learn when I was fifteen years old. A friend of our family offered to take me skiing one day. After showing me how to put on the equipment, I awkwardly got onto the chairlif t and we ascended to the summit. Down the mountain I fell…over and over and over again covered with bruises and my pride scattered along the slopes with my skis. I promised myself to never go through that humiliation again, and was faithful to that vow….until my sons wanted to learn to ski. O ne of my sons was ver y apprehensive and would only attempt to learn if his daddy accompanied him to the lesson. I had a big decision to make. It was love that ultimately lead me back up the slopes. For too long, I had allowed pride and fear to keep me in the lodges of life rather than the slopes. Yes, I was afraid of falling and getting hurt, but mostly I was afraid of the embarrassment of being humiliated and having

Humility is the catalyst to becoming human with and for others. to ack nowle dge my ne e d for some one’s help. I ne e de d a n instructor, and my boys needed an example of humility. So there I was on the bunny hill….. and down I went again! This time however, I was able to laugh at myself as I saw the fear and trepidation on my boys’ faces fade away. If their dad was able to fall, get back up to try again and have fun along the way, then so could they. Eventually, we all got the hang of it and could keep up with my wife, and since then the four of us have enjoyed some magical days traversing all sorts of trails and terrain together. Catholic theologian Thomas Merton once wrote, “Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real.” In the slopes of life often we are too afraid or prideful to get on

the bunny hill, and end up either stuck inside the lodge watching others or skiing alone. Today’s culture, especially in the metro NYC area, places safeguards all around that prohibit humility and vulnerability and instead prop up false images of perfectionism. Yet, there is a desperate need for true authenticity now more than ever. In a recent article entitled “Six predictions for the post-pandemic church”, author Peter W. Marty writes these words: Thirst will increase for authentic community where moral formation and relationships of meaning can prosper. In social isolation, we have learned the truth of Frederick Buechner’s words: “You can survive on your own; you can grow strong on your own; you can prevail on your own; but you

cannot become human on your own.” I believe that genuine humility is the key to true authenticity and fellowship. Humility is the catalyst to becoming human with and for others. During this pandemic we have realized how at our core we are all the same…humans trying to navigate the uncertainty and unpredictability of life. We have all felt afraid, weak, helpless and scared. We have fallen and we have failed. Yes it is scary, but we are not alone. During this pandemic, phrases such as “I know what that is like”, “I have been there”, or “I am going through the exact same thing as you”, have been sources of comfort and hope. I am reminded of the words that the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth; “That is why for Christ’s sake….I delight in weaknesses….. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” He was ref lecting on the strength found in the person and presence of

Christ as demonstrated throughout his life and exemplif ied to the fullest measure on that first Good Friday over two thousand years ago in Jerusalem. It was love that led Jesus to the place of crucifixion and, though brutally executed and disgraced publicly, his sacrificial act of love proved victorious over hatred, hostility and even death itself. Christ demonstrated what theologian, educator, and civil rights leader Howard Thurman believed “Humility cannot be humiliated”. May we experience a death to ego and pride and lean forward into humility. May we begin to experience and enjoy the twists and turns of life’s slopes with one another, and thus become more alive and more fully human. Dan Haugh is the Associate Pastor at Round Hill Community Church and the Fleet Champlain at Indian Harbor Yacht Club. He and his wife Lauretta have twin sons, Jack and Blake and enjoy spending time outdoors.

The Triduum: Three Days that Changed the World By Marek Zabriskie Tonight marks one of the three greatest nights of the Christian year. Yet, it does not attract hordes of people like Christmas Eve. Rather, tonight the Green Berets of faith quietly make their way to church sanctuary. Those who worship on Maundy Thursday are deeply committed Christians. There’s nothing casual about their faith. The preacher doesn’t need to pander to them with jokes, elegant turns of phrases or deeply learned illustrations. Folks who f ill the pews on Maundy Thursday already know Jesus. They come to commemorate the night when our Lord gathered his closest friends for a f inal meal, held in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. Tonight, those who gather feel a part of Jesus’ inner circle. They are part of his adopted family. We come to church this night because we have chosen to be with our Lord and nothing more.

The service of Maundy Thursday allows us to look into the heart of Jesus. We see what matters most to him. Jesus tells us tonight, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you” (John 13:34). This is the way that the world is supposed to work, when families truly love each other and when individuals treat everyone with respect and dig nity. In G od’s kingdom, there are no Republicans or Democrats, R ig ht or L ef t, rich or poor, gays, straights or transgendered, Blacks, whites, H i sp a n ic s , A si a n s or Nat ive Americans, or citizens of any particular country or practitioners of a sole religion. There are just human beings, each created in the image of God. We realize that every parent r e g a r d le s s of ra c e , r e l i g ion , nationality or political party wants what’s best for their children. They make incredible sacrifices for their sons and daughters. In one of her sermons, Fleming Rutledge, one of the finest Episcopal preachers and a member of Christ Church Greenwich, recalls reading a book as a teenager called “Three Came Home.” It tells the story of a mother and two children who were interred in a Japanese prison camp. The mother had managed to

smuggle a bottle of vitamins into the prison camp. There were a limited number of pills. So, she dolled them out carefully to her children, never taking any for herself. Fifty years after reading that book, what Fleming recalls about the book is the mother’s sacrificial love for her children. That is but a tiny reflection of what God’s love is for each of us. On this night, a new family is brought into being as we share a sacred meal together. This is the night where the Eucharist was instituted as one of the ways that God feeds us spiritually. It is a sacred meal that unites Christians around the world. The Eucharist reminds us that life’s greatest riches often come through sacrif ices made by God, others and ourselves. When we live sacrificially, we unite our will with God’s will. This is the night as well where Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and modeled that true greatness is not the largest home, highest net worth, most power or fame. True greatness is servant leadership. On this night, Jesus said, “For which is greater, one who sits at table, or one who serves? Is it not the one who sits at table? But I am among you as one who serves.” Tomorrow is Good Friday. It is a misnomer for the most horrible

things that humans could do were enacted on this day. Humans put God’s only begotten Son to death. They convicted, tortured and crucified Jesus. This day reminds us that we humans are capable of horrific actions and drastically confusing acts of hatred for acts in the service of love. It is called Good Friday not because of what humans did on this day, but because of what God brought forth from the horror enacted on this day. It reminds us of the divine possibility of taking the very worst of things and bringing forth something incredibly good. Towards the end of his life, preacher Carlyle Marney was standing in his garden, tending his beautiful roses. After retiring, he had fallen into a deep depression. As he stood in his rose garden, he suddenly remembered that roses grow best in manure. Truth be told, it is the manurelike experiences of our life, episodes that we wished that we had never experienced, that often produce the greatest flowers in our life. The manure suffering and loss fertilizes our souls and produces the most fragrant flowers. Finally, there is Easter. The first celebration takes place with the Easter Vigil on Saturday night, which many find to be the most

moving, mystical, mysterious and magical service of the year. We move from darkness to light, from a somber mood to an outright celebration of God's love for us during this service. Likewise, Easter morning is a triumphal celebration. It is not a commemoration of new awakening of the disciples where all of their master’s teaching suddenly made sense. This is not God uniting everyone in harmony. This was cataclysmic. Jesus physically rose from the dead. It was not just that his spirit lived on. This was a flesh and blood figure being raised from the dead. Jesus ate food with his followers, cooked a meal on the beach for them and allowed skeptics to touch the wounds in his hands and side. It was an event so powerful, u nex pec ted a nd i nex pl ica ble that it transformed a band of uneducated, common men into a group of apostles who carried the faith to the far corners of the earth. This unparalleled event laid the foundation for the Church as we know it. The apostles were not afraid to talk about the Resurrection. They put their lives at stake to share it just as millions of people have done for 2,000 years. Had they and others been reluctant to speak, we

would not be celebrating Easter or even recognize Jesus today, nor would we live with the hope of being reunited with those whom we have loved and lost. No other religion on earth speaks about life after death in the way that Christianity does. But eternal life is predicated on following Jesus’ teaching here and now. Something is demanded of us in our earthly life, rather than blissful indifference. The incredible events of that first Easter reverberates down to our day. They give us goosebumps and make our hair stand on end. “Go quickly,” said the angel to the women at the tomb, “and tell the disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’” The ev il enacted on G ood Friday was reversed on Easter morning, so we might live with hope that even our most crucifying moments can also be transformed by God. M a u n d y T h u r s d a y, G o o d Friday, and Easter morning are three days known to Christians as the “Triduum.” These three days changed the world as we know it. The Rev. Marek P. Zabriskie is Rector of Christ Church Greenwich

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself By Drew Williams And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, ‘Which commandment is the most important of all?’ Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.’ And the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. (Mark 4: 28-34) The golden rule is an i ntel lec t ua l tou r de force. I n Jesus’ words we have the greatest ethical maxim ever devised. It is breathtakingly brilliant. The only measure Jesus sets up is ourselves. The golden rule takes our own sense of self-preservation and then redeploys it for the good of others. The truth is that we all are born with certain baggage. We are who we were born as, where we were born, how we were raised. It is too easy to get stuck inside that person, causing us to focus on how we are being treated. When we are asked, “How did your day go?” we often respond based on our answer to the question, “How did people treat us?” The golden rule turns that on its head and asks, “How

did you treat others?” The golden rule invites us to crawl inside another person’s skin and see and experience the world through his or her eyes. The golden rule invites us to take a leap of imagination and then take action accordingly. I love John Ortberg’s passion on this subject when he says, “You can use the golden rule on people you like. You can use it on people you don’t like (and oddly if you do so you will find you start to like them more). You can use the golden rule while you drive. You can use the golden rule while you are texting. You can use the golden rule and not text while you drive!” Martin Luther, the great reformer, said of the golden rule, “It was certainly very clever of Christ to state it this way.” It was and remains so clever. So brilliant! So perfect and so clear . . . so why don’t we actually do it? The golden rule proves the poverty of the arg ument that says that all you have to do is give people instruction and tell them what to do – that they will understand and put the rule into practice. The golden rule has been within the intellectual grasp of humanity for two thousand years – and the last two hundred years we have taken great leaps in science and technology – and still we fail to live by it. Why? In a fallen world, the very principle that should trigger the golden rule (“How would I feel if . . .”) is overpowered and smothered by self-interest. We get stuck on the “I” part. Author Karen Joy Fowler writes, “‘Do unto others’ is an unnatural, inhuman behavior. You can understand why so many churches and churchgoers say it but so few achieve it. It goes against something fundamental in our natures. And this, then, is the human tragedy—that the common humanity we share is fundamentally based on the denial of a common shared humanity.” O f ten what look s l i ke t he application of the golden rule is actually plain old vanity, pride and self interest in disguise! I like to think of myself as a generous driver. Consider those moments

on the freeway, when you are travelling slowly, and cars are seeking to merge into the lane that you are occupying. In that moment, because I am so generous of heart, I deign to let a vehicle in. “Look children! Pay attention world – let this be a lesson in how to drive considerately! Yes – you – stranded, sweating driver in the little blue Prius, come enter the freeway through the gracious archway that is my munificence!” B u t t h e n , s u d d e n l y, t h e r e d Mazda immediately behind the l it t le blue P r iu s at te mpt s to scandalously take advantage of my magnanimous driving and cut in too. “Not you – wretched interloper!” And one has to speed up a little bit to teach the scoundrel some manners! For I am indeed magnanimous (especially when I have an audience) but I am not that magnanimous! This is a seemingly trivial example, yet it bears out the sad truth that, left to our own devices, we cannot help but at best be covertly self-centered– even when we want to appear “other centered.” This means that we are inclined to get irritated w it h G o d , p e rh ap s n o t eve n like G od ver y much, because He is someone who wants to come in and mess with our selfcenteredness. “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.” (Romans 8:7, emphasis mine). The answer is that we need to start not with the application of the golden rule but with God. The greatest commandment is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself ” (Luke 10:27). Notice the order. We don’t start with our neighbor. For really important reasons, we start with God. Our relationship w ith our neighbor will never be what it should be unless we are right with God. We cannot love our neighbor as ourselves until we

I recall being given some “golden” advice as a young pastor on the subject of caring for seemingly difficult or challenging people. I was cautioned, “There is always something you don’t know.” get right w ith G od. The good news is that Jesus not only taught a golden rule message, He died a golden rule death so that we could be made right with God. “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). To come before God is always to see that truth about ourselves. We are not kings of magnanimity on the freeway or anywhere else in life. When we look to God and see ourselves in relationship to Him, we become conscious of our own fallenness and then discover that, remarkably, we do not get from God what we deserve. We anticipate rejection, but He looks upon us with grace and embraces us in love and mercy. And then, through the golden rule, it’s as if Jesus says, “Let me help you look upon others as I have looked and continue to look upon you.” How is that going to happen? In the book of Acts, Peter tells us of Jesus, “He went about doing good…” (Acts 10:38). Jesus not only taught a golden rule life, He lived a golden rule life. If I were a leper, I would long for someone to see my humanity. I would long to be talked to, touched, healed. No rabbi would do that. But Jesus did. If my life had descended to the point of having to prostitute myself, I would dream of being treated with dignity. I would want someone to see through my brokenness and destitution and see the real me. Jesus did that. All the way to Good Friday, Jesus lived a golden rule life. If I were the thief on the Cross, I would know that I had no defense, but I would hope that someone might have mercy. Even from His place on the Cross Jesus

did that. You see, the truth about the golden rule life is that it is not a rule so much as it is the living continuation of Jesus’ ministry through us. And yes – Jesus went about doing good, but let’s not miss the fullness of that verse from Acts 10, which begins, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good…” (Acts 10:38, emphasis mine). The Spirit that filled Jesus is the same Spirit that raised Him from the dead. It is the same Holy Spirit that empowers and opens our hearts to live out Jesus’ continuing ministry. In the power of the Spirit we no longer see someone as trying to take some advantage over us; we see someone living in pain and fear, just like we once did. And as Jesus met us first with love, as the Father met us with a mercy that we did not deserve– the same Spirit moves in us to bring the same love and mercy to another. Through the Spirit, we don’t merely exercise our own imagination to see the interior life of another. We are given, by the Holy Spirit, a sanctif ied imagination that we might see with God’s heart and then act on it. A simple prayer– “Lord, help me to see this person as you see them and to love them as you love them”– can be both illuminating and mobilizing. I recall being given some “golden” advice as a young pastor on the subject of caring for seemingly difficult or challenging people. I was cautioned, “There is always something you don’t know.” Over the years, I have found that by simply recalling that single thought I give the Holy Spirit

enough elbow room to cause me to pause and discover within myself God’s love for another person. The fundamental reason for loving our neighbor is not simply because God commands us to love them, nor is it because they are loved by God and are therefore worthy to be loved by us (although both of these are entirely valid points). The critical reason is that God has placed in us, has entrusted to us, His own love for them. When we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in the operation of the golden rule, we unlock that deposit of love. God has demonstrated infinite love and mercy for us in giving us Jesus. He asks us not to close the circuit, not to keep that love for ourselves, but rather to participate in the open circuitry of God’s love. So what would it be like for you to live a Spirit-led golden rule week? The operation of the Spiritfilled golden rule not only changes the lives of those around us – it transforms us. The more we live it out, the more we want to daily inhabit it. The specifics are unique to each of us, but the fruit is the same; joy in the Holy Spirit and the fullness of the life of Jesus in abundance. In His great love, Bishop Andrew. D r e w W i l l i a m s pr e vi ou s l y served as Senior Pastor of Trinity Church in Greenwich and was a weekly contributor to the Greenwich Sentinel. Last year he became the bishop for the Anglican Diocese of New England (ADNE). Read more or sign up for Drew's daily devotionals at https://adne. org/watchwords online.

Page 14 | Greenwich Sentinel

Connecticut's Secret's Have Been Revealed

By Emma W. Barhydt I had the opportunity this weekend to talk with travel author extraordinaire and Greenwich resident Stasha Healy regarding her new book Secret Connecticut: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure which was just published March 15. Quirky, interesting, and informative, Secret Connecticut paints a new picture of our “driveby” state, and brings its rich history to life. During our call, Healy spoke of being in a professional development session with the S o c iet y of A mer ic a n Travel Writers and Reedy Press. Reedy Press is the publisher of the Secret series where authors from all over the country can write their own Secret guidebook for a particular town or state and be a part of the series. “After the webinar,” Healy recalled, “I looked at Reedy Press’s website and they didn’t have Secret anything in Connecticut.” This didn’t sit well with Healy who was “sure that Connecticut has a lot of secrets.” With everything shut down and an inability to travel outside of Connecticut, Healy began a quest to discover the hidden mysteries of her own state. Before our call I spent the day reading Secret Connecticut wondering what kind of unusual tales I would discover. Being a bit of a history buff myself I was surprised to find that out of the 84 stories covered in her book, I knew almost none of them. Asking Healy what her favorite story that she found proved to be a difficult question, but she did eventually land on the story of Martin Luther King Jr. spending his summers in Simsbury, CT and how much she “loved reading his letters and quotes to his mother about what that experience meant to him.” I n t heme w it h t he book s subject, the next logical question was what was the most unusual thing in the book? According to the author, diving horses. “The concept of diving horses was very odd to me… And this was a thing until very recently.” All the way up until the 1970’s, in fact, the attraction of diving horses

was fairly widespread, though it reached its peak in popularity a b out a hu nd r e d ye a rs ago. There’s even a 1991 Disney movie on the subject of diving horses. Turning more serious, Healy and I spoke about what the most difficult part of writing Strange Connecticut. “Covid made the reporting pretty difficult. I was trying to reach people at different organizations, and they weren’t in their offices, and sometimes they weren’t checking their emails or their phone messages.” But Healy was undeterred and found creative ways to get in touch with them anyway. “I had to track down people in person and I tracked down people over social media.” If not for social media, the story regarding Greenwich’s Roebling Bridge never would have made it to press. “I thought it wouldn’t be that diff icult to track down information on the bridge, because I had heard it was designed by the Roeblings who de sig ne d t he Br o ok ly n Bridge. But what I found was that [information] was not out there and readily available and what I did find was contradictory.” With no straight or consistent answers to be found, the bridge became a mystery that was solved only with the help of social media. “I tracked down the Roebling museum in Roebling, New Jersey -- I never even knew this existed -- and the chair of the board of trustees is a Roebling descendant and she had given a presentation on this bridge [in Greenwich] so I tweeted at her and she gave me the information.” The mystery of the Roebling Bridge in Greenwich had been definitively solved, and just in time for the book to go to print. Speaking of diff iculty, the timeline for writing, researching, and publishing the book was nothing to scoff at. Healy had four months before she had to go to print, spending two months researching and two months writing. “The webinar… was in June and by the time I got my contract, it was July.” To begin, Healy pulled out “every book in the Greenwich Library with the word Connecticut in its title” which ended up being about

a relationship with Bridgeport, but I didn’t k now the extent of Bridgeport’s History.” In a book of 84 stories, Bridgeport is mentioned four times. That may not sound like a lot, but the only place mentioned more is Greenwich with four and a half mentions. “A nybody who’s a movie producer, I want to see a movie about this community in this time period!” W hy Con ne c t ic ut? He a ly has been to all 50 states and has decided to call Connecticut her home. “Connecticut is s o b e au t i f u l ,” s h e b e g a n , “Connecticut has everything. It’s all the natural beauty - it’s woods, it’s shoreline, it’s town greens, it’s colonial architecture, it’s art, it’s history. It’s just so culturally rich and naturally beautiful.” I couldn’t have said it better. So what is next for Stasha Healy? She shared with us that Secret Connecticut was “happily sidetracked” from her young adult novel that she is currently working on based on her experiences at Prep school. As for getting back to travel, her next trip is booked for New Orleans as soon as it’s safe. “People don’t see New Orleans as a place that children would enjoy, but there’s so much for children in New Orleans and I want to have my kids experience that and to write about it as well. As for Secret Connecticut: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure; you can hear Stasha Healy speak about the book over zoom and in person starting in May and the book is available for purchase everywhere fine books are sold. very helpful.” For more information about “I was pleasantly surprised the book and the author, check out about Bridgeport,” Healy noted to https://stashamillshealy.com/ me. “I knew that P.T. Barnum had

Quirky, interesting, and informative, Secret Connecticut paints a new picture of our “driveby” state, and brings its rich history to life. f if teen book s. “I d id n’t ta ke out books that I knew weren’t relevant.” She took the leads she found from the books and followed

up in other ways, both online and in person. “The executive directors of a lot of the historical societies and the curators were

P&Z Reviews Pre-Application for School in Pemberwick By Kris Herndon The Greenwich Planning and Zoning Commission received a pre-application from The Cedar S cho ol , a new c o - e d pr iv ate school, for a change of use at a property at the corner of Pemberwick Road and Comly Avenue, at 200 Pemberwick Road. The pre-application process allows for a nonbinding discussion with the Commission to evaluate the pros and cons of a proposal

before a substantial investment has been made in developing plans, reports, and studies. The applicants seek approval for a change from business use to m i xe d-u s e ( b u s i n e s s a n d education), as well as construction and changes to the space the proposed school w ill occupy, which is on the second-floor of a mixed-use building. The changes include upgrades in lighting and electric, painting and carpeting, and relocating partitions in the

space. The Ceda r School is new. Set to launch in Fall of 2021, its co-founders are listed as Clay Kaufman and Ben Jenkins. Kaufman had been Head of School at the Eagle Hill School in Greenwich, but had announced his departure just over a year ago. Kaufman was formerly cohead of school at the Siena School in Silver Spring, MD and The F ield S cho ol i n Wa sh i ng ton , D.C. Jenkins is Chief Investment

Officer of Digital Colony and was for merly cha i r ma n of Globa l Tower Partners. The Cedar School’s website touts its planned Fall 2021 launch and bills the school as a co-ed day program that offers college prep for students with mild-tomoderate language-based learning difficulties, including dyslexia, as well as students with dyscalculia, dysgraphia, executive-functioning challenges, auditory processing challenges, and ADHD. The school

ser ves h ig h school students, grades 9-12. The narrative portion of the pre-application states the planned hours of operation as Monday t h roug h F r iday f rom 8 a m to 4pm, with most traff ic impact anticipated during morning dropoff, since students will arrive by car. The applicants anticipate enrolling 25 in the first year and 100 in subsequent years. Schools are an approved use of the site, which previously housed

The Mead School. The building at 200 Pemberwick has a parking lot off Comly Avenue, connected to the main building via a pedestrian bridge over the Byram River. Per the pre-application, the property has parking for 190 cars. G r e e nw i c h P l a n n i n g a n d Zoning applications, schedules, and materials are available to the public. For more information, go to www.greenwichct.gov and follow the links under Planning and Zoning.

Greenwich Botanical Center's Native Plant Series By Jack McIntyre

SP SA RIN LE G !

The Greenwich Botanical Center presents two new events this week as part of their Native Habitat Virtual L e c t u re S er ie s. Joi n A ndy Chapi n,

Greenwich Land Steward, on March 31 for a lecture on deer resistant tips and Sarah Coccaro, Conservation Resource Manager for Greenwich Conservation Commission, on April 7 for ways to use native vegetation to deter pests.

Chapin joins the Greenwich Botanical Center this Wednesday, March 31, for his lecture, “Deer Resistant Tips f rom Neig h bor A ndy Chapin.” Deer browsing is an integral part of what deer do to eat during the winter.

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However, their presence can disrupt neighborhood gardens. Chapin will be giving tips on how to use native plants for their benef icial qualities as well as how to use them to minimize deer browsing. Chapin developed a love of gardening at an early age, learning from his mother and grandfather. He has since served the Greenwich community as the Land Steward for the Greenwich Audubon for the last 10 years. In his position, Chapin took care of 650 acres of land in Greenwich, maintaining bridges, trails, and planting projects. Additionally, he has worked with various volunteer organizations such as church groups, schools, and the Boy Scouts of America. Chapin’s years of experience with the Greenw ich Audubon w ill br ing a unique perspective to Greenw ich Botanical Center’s native plant series. In Chapin’s lecture, he will discuss how fellow Greenwich gardeners can work with native plants to establish deer resistant gardens. “There are strategies you can use to minimize their [the deer’s] impact, such as choosing the right plants and how you combine them with other plants,” Chapin says. More than anything, Chapin wants to emphasize the significance of using native plants in your own backyards to help maintain balance in the ecosystem. According to Chapin, “Native pla nt s for m t he fou nd at ion of ou r ecosystem... Without plants you have no insects. Without insects you have no animals. Many of the insects and plants have coevolved with each other over thousands of years so that they have become dependent on each other.” Chapin’s lecture is just the latest in the Greenwich Botanical Center’s series on the importance of native species in our local ecosystems. On April 7, Sarah Coccaro will be adding to Chapin’s discussion of native

plants with her lecture, “Sustainable Habitats Using Native Vegetation to Manage Wildlife.” Coccaro will share tips for enhancing w ildlife habitats and supporting pollinators while using native vegetation to deter pests. She will emphasize the importance of dealing with unwanted wildlife while encouraging benef icial pollinators including bats, bees, butterflies, owls and more. “Nature always provides a solution even when dea l i ng w it h u nwa nte d wildlife,” Coccaro says. Coccaro currently ser ves as the Conservation Resource Manager for the Greenwich Conservation Commission a n d i s a n i nte g r a l m e m b e r o f t h e Greenwich Grown initiative. Coccaro’s lecture is in collaboration with Greenwich Grown. Greenwich Grown partners with the Audubon, Greenw ich Botanical C e n t e r, G r e e n w i c h C o n s e r v a t i o n Commission, Greenwich Land Trust, and the Greenwich Tree Conservancy, w ith suppor t f rom the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and Sam Bridge Nursery. For the last three years, Sarah has led Greenwich Grown’s initiative to restore the natural habitat of Greenwich. Every fall and spring, Greenwich Grown and it’s community partners host their Pollinator Potluck event, where they visit seven sites around town to remove i nv a s i ve s p e c i e s a n d p l a nt n at i ve species. Join Sarah Coccaro on Wednesday, April 7, to learn how you can make an impact in our local ecosystem. As A ndy Chapin says,“there are things we all can do to build a better environment." Learn more about the Greenwich Botanical Center’s upcoming programs at greenwichbotanicalcenter.org. All events are recorded for future access.

Page 15 | Greenwich Sentinel

Puzzles for the Weekend: Have Fun!

Astrology for Week of Apr. 4, 2021 ARIES 21 March-20 April As Mercury, planet of communication and the mind, enters your sign you will start to see more clearly and let others know what you want. This is one of the best times of the year for you so don’t hold back. Let the world know you’re on your way.

LIBRA 24 Sept-23 Oct Ask others for their permission before you do anything for them this week, especially if their pride is strong. You know how you’d feel if others made decisions for you without consulting you. Be smart and find out if they want, as well as need, your help.

TAURUS 21 April-21 May You are advised to do what’s expected of you this week – even if you’d rather not. You don’t want to upset those in control of your financial and professional wellbeing. You can, of course, refuse if their demands are too outrageous but make an effort if you can.

SCORPIO 24 Oct-22 Nov Just because things have been done a certain way in the past does not mean they have to be done that way in the future. Some people are set in their ways and need persuading it is time for a change. The word is “persuading” – not forcing.

GEMINI 22 May-21 June Your confidence will get a boost from someone who praises you to the skies. Even if they go a bit over the top your talents are special and the sooner you start believing that, the sooner you’ll start to move up in the world. You belong at the top.

SAGITTARIUS 23 Nov-21 Dec Not much will change in a physical sense this week but mentally you’ll start to feel better than you have for weeks. You will realise that some things aren’t worth worrying about, that what will be will be. If your attitude is positive your life will be too.

CANCER 22 June-23 July With Mercury moving to focus on your career you will be full of ideas for the future. You know you have got what it takes to reach the top and that if you apply yourself you will get there with ease. But first you must decide what your speciality will be.

CAPRICORN 22 Dec-20 Jan Although you are more articulate than many, you are not good at talking about your emotions. Even so, you will have to be lot more open with loved ones this week because if you keep things from them it will be you who misses out in the long-term.

LEO 24 July-23 Aug With the Sun joined by Mercury in dynamic Aries you will feel a surge of energy and enthusiasm that make most – if not all – things possible. If you’re thinking of expanding your horizons this is the time to stop thinking and start acting. But you must be quick.

AQUARIUS 21 Jan-19 Feb If you’ve been holding back from saying something for fear of hurting someone’s feelings, you’ll realise this week that you’ve been delaying the inevitable. When it comes to money and relationships honesty is the best policy – even if it hurts initially.

VIRGO 24 Aug-23 Sept A rocky relationship may not survive the stresses and strains ahead but it was not up to much anyway. Cosmic forces suggest it is time for a change, especially if you have put more into some relationships than you have been taking out.

PISCES 20 Feb-20 March You’ll receive good news about your finances this week and will naturally want to celebrate. But don’t commit yourself to any new spending plans until you’ve got the extra money in your hands. As they say, dividends can go down as well as up.

Discover more about yourself at sallybrompton.com

Suduko

Sudoku: each row, column, and nonet can contain each number only once. Answers on page 12.

Hard

Code Breakers

Each number in the Codeword grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this puzzle, 16 represents N, 24 represents S and 9 represents Y, so fill in N wherever 16 appears, S wherever 24 appears and Y wherever 9 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid. Answers on page 10. 6

24 18

Crossword 1

20 24 27

39 42

44 48

45 50

ACROSS

37 Inordinate

1 Scorch

39 Make over

5 Constructor

40 Sediment

DOWN

10 Antarctic sea

41 Short dog with a flat muzzle

1 Complain

14 Trusted assistant

Very Hard

65 Aide (Abbr.)

28 Fashion magazine 29 Emblem 32 Scowl 33 Spiritual

42 Taken in

2 Convicted spy Alger ---

34 Yemeni port

15 Handy

44 Surrender

3 Recommended

35 Sweeney ---

16 Very dark

45 Not alee

4 Agent

38 Uncovered

17 Please answer

46 Close to the coast

5 Convent heads

43 Literary work

6 Entangled

44 Mountain pass

51 People found in the Horn of Africa

7 "Slaughterhouse Five" author --Vonnegut

46 Has gone

52 Puts on

8 Time in Boston

53 Global currency body

9 Ability

18 Civil wrongs 19 On-screen Bean 20 Tire inflation measure 21 Close 22 Ready to entertain 24 Brace 26 Circumspect 27 Closer 29 Prickly seed vessel 30 Musical collections 31 Type of lamp 32 Campus house, maybe 36 Troubles

50 Held fast

56 Fine

47 Cell maker 48 Well turned out

10 Vertical pipe

49 Ira ---, Iwo Jima flagraiser

57 Yellow-green color

11 Upright

50 Small flock

12 Edible ray

52 Prima donna

59 Hard up

13 Ecclesiastical council

54 Rabbles

60 Sack 61 Enthuses wildly 62 Toothpaste container

21 Appear 23 Average golf score 25 Tie up

63 Minnesota ---, pool player

26 Recognized leader

64 Moves back and forth

27 Pin down

55 Abrade 58 Statute 59 Harper Valley org.

Meet Student Journalism Institute Member, Peter Kapp By Jenny Byxbee Meet Peter Kapp from Brunswick School. He is one of the first students to be inducted as a member of the Student Journalism Institute, from the Greenwich Sentinel Foundation. He will be joining a select group of students this spring. Be on the lookout for exciting youth columns and perspectives to come. If you are interested in learning more about the SJI or the Greenwich Sentinel Foundation and its initiatives, please contact Jenny Byxbee at communityimpact@ greenwichsentinel.com. Greenwich Sentinel Com mu n it y Fou ndat ion's m ission is to c r e ate a st rong

sense of community that fosters mut ua l respect, suppor t, a nd understanding among Greenwich residents. A strong community has residents that a re suppor ted, happier, more willing to serve others, and that produce leaders that will bring ideas with which t hey wer e ra i s e d b eyond t he borders of their own home town. Together, we w ill continue to lift up and bring together our community and each other, help Greenwich reach for unparalleled potential for good, and instill a sense of community and values in the world's future leaders. The Greenw ich Sentinel Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3)

"Students in Greenwich are afforded some extraordinary opportunities and with those chances we can accomplish incredible feats. As a member of the SJI, I hope to demonstrate the value that the youth in this town has, and by extension increase our voice in this community rather than sheltering us from its shortcomings. In my free time, I love to read, write short stories, run, and have had the pleasure of being involved with several of Brunswick's literary magazines." Peter Kapp- Brunswick School

Big Red Capitalizes on its One Shot at Glory By Paul Silverfarb A lt houg h t he for m at w a s different at this year’s Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference boys’ swimming and diving championship meet, there was a very familiar theme to the event. With no CIAC class LL or State Open championship meets this season due to the global pandemic, Big Red only had one shot to showcase their talents. And they didn’t disappoint during FCIACs. When all was said and done, it was Greenwich High School that once again dominated the scoreboard, taking 539 points to capture the FCIAC championship. “I think we were all thrilled with the way that we came through at the end,” said GHS head coach Terry Lowe. “The performances that we got were amazing. It was a rare situation where the best teams actually tapered and shaved for the county meet. Usually they wait for the state meet.” The next closest team was Ridgefield High School, as they finished with 394.5 points. The Fairfield Co-op took home third overall with 276 points and New Canaan High School netted fourth with 189.5 points. Rounding out the top five was Norwalk/McMahon, as they finished with 187.5 points. “We knew this was it and that we had one shot for best times, goal times, All-American performances. We had to make the most of it,” said Lowe. “It was putting all our eggs in one basket, but that was the only thing we could do. We had to focus on that like never before. They really did come through with flying colors.” In this quite unusual season where the season was cut short by nearly two months and the state championship meets were el i m i n ate d , G r e e nw ich H ig h School knew that they had to aim higher than ever during the FCIAC championship meet. A nd ge t t i n g t h at F C I AC championship meet off the ground

took some solid coordination with all teams involved. Because only two teams were allowed in the pool at the same time, the conference hosted a virtual championship. Two teams competed against each other. Six venues were used on the same day throughout the FCIAC. Their times were tabulated and combined to see who placed where. A few days later, the divers took to the GHS pool for the FCIAC diving championships. Since Ridgefield High School was going to be Big Red’s biggest competition this season, Lowe wanted to make sure that his flock of Cardinals were in some tough competition. Early in the preseason, Lowe reached out to the Tigers to make sure they were battling Greenwich High come tournament time. “We wanted to make our FCIAC championship as competitive as possible,” Lowe said. “I think it worked out very well for both teams. It was very exciting and a pressure packed finale for both of us. Right from the start they were focused and determined. You could just tell from Jan. 19th on that they were able to bear down, grit their teeth and train extra hard to rises to the level of expectations that they had for themselves.” When the results were gathered and merged together, Greenwich High had a plethora of top finishers. Leading the way was Ryan Jee, as he was golden in two events. In the 200-yard individual medley, Jee touched the wall first with a time of 1:50.67 and was over two seconds faster than the next finisher. Not to be outdone, Jee was in a head-tohead battle with teammate James Pascale and came away with the silver overall with a time of 49.95 seconds. Pascale took home the bronze with a time of 51.74. “What he’s done in the last year or so, in his training and focus, has been amazing,” Lowe said. “To have him go out there and set a record in the individual medley and qualify for All-American in that event was pretty darn impressive. He came

Greenwich High School’s Ryan Jee takes to the pool during the 100-yard butterfly event at the GHS pool. back and broke the 50-second mark in the butterfly and was a key leg in the opening medley and freestyle relays. He had great splits in both.” Also taking two medals was Nicholas Malchow. Competing in the 100-yard freestyle, he smoked past the competition and grabbed a top time of 45.84. In the fastest event of the championships, the 50-yard freestyle, Malchow was good enough for the silver, posting a blistering time of 20.69 and was edged by Fairfield’s Tyler Sicignano (20.47). “Nicholas is a marvelous sprint freestyler and it’s a pleasure to watch that beautiful stroke in the water,” said Lowe. Greenw ich bookended the FCIAC championship meet with two top times in relay events. GHS started the event by making a statement in the 200-yard medley relay, as the team of Jee, Aiden Bucaria, Pascale, and Malchow touched the wall with an AllAmerican time of 1:31.74. Pascale, Jee, and Malchow, along with Alex Plavoukos, battled in the 400-yard freestyle relay. With two of the fastest teams in the pool at the same location, it was GHS that upended Ridgefield, netting a first-place finish and a time of 3:05.36. The Tigers time of 3:07.92 was good enough for the silver.

Plavou kos a lso fa red well individually, finishing second in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:42.40. He also grabbed the silver in the 500-yard freestyle, posting a time of 4:33.31 that was over seven seconds faster than the third place finisher. However, it was Ridgefield’s Connor Hunt that stunned in the event, winning with a time of 4:22.90. “A l e x h a s e m e r g e d a s a n outstanding middle and distance freestyler but had to play second f idd le to R idgef ield’s Con nor Hunt, who is a record-setting, A l l-A mer ic a n, Nat iona l-level swimmer the last couple of years,” said Lowe. “But Alex has done a great job and in his opening leg of the 400-freestlye relay I think he really set us up for victory. With his opening leg, we knew we were going to be able to handle Ridgefield.” Although the divers competed on a different day, Greenwich was lights out during the FCIAC diving championships. Leading the way was Grover Whitaker, as he took home an FCIAC record score of 569.10. He was nearly 100 points better the teammate Joel Satir, who finished second overall with a score of 471.30. Keeping the good times rolling for GHS was Satir’s brother Jayden, as he finished with the bronze and a score of 460.60.

“ O u r t r i o o f d i ve r s w e r e absolutely outstanding and it’s going to be really hard to duplicate what they did at the FCIAC meet,” Lowe said. “They should all be AllAmerican divers.” Big Red had a slew of other stellar times during the FCIAC swimming championships. In addition to his performances i n t he r elay eve nt s , Buc a r ia was lights out in the 100-yard breaststroke, placing second overall with a time of 57.78 and just missed out on first, as Fairfield’s Emmett Adams took the gold with a time of 56.96. Competing in the 200-yard individual medley, Bucaria netted third overall, posting a time of 1:53.56. Joining Malchow on the podium for the 50-yard freestyle was Hunter Johnson, as he finished fourth overall (21.63). In addition to his time in the 50-free, Johnson was fifth in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 48.03. Right behind him was Mic DiLascia, as he ended the night sixth overall with a time of 48.40. He fared better in the 100-yard breaststroke, taking the bronze with a time of 58.34. Ben Schinto was also a third-place finisher, taking a time of 53.25 in the 100yard backstroke. Pascale was also a medalist in the 200-yard freestyle, netting

a time of 1:44.72 that was good enough for sixth overall. “James did a wonderful job in the butterfly leg of the relay and came right back with a best ever time in the 200-free in the next event,” Lowe said. “He had a fine butterf ly and was a part of that 400-free relay.” Although they didn’t finish as the top relay, the GHS 200-yard freestyle relay was mere inches away. The foursome of Johnson, Bucaria, Thomas Cass, and Daulton Kenda l l was i n a bat t le w it h Ridgefield throughout the event. GHS touched the wall with a time of 1:26.53 and that was good enough for the silver. The Tigers barely came away with the gold, posting a time of 1:26.43. “This team was both mentally a n d p hys i c a l l y p r e p a r e d for Counties,” Lowe said. “We adjusted our training season accordingly and tried to make sure that we developed the depth of training that we knew we could. Beginning on Jan. 19, we really piled on some yardage and workouts in that first month. We really wanted to make sure we had a base to move on from with a taper and shave at the end. That’s always a delicate process, but I think we mastered it pretty well for the past couple of years and it worked out every bit as well as we could have ever hoped this year.”

Congratulations Are in Order for These Local Students! Kate Ruberti, was recently oldest and most selective all- at Elon University. Ruberti is initiated into The Honor Society d iscipl i ne col leg iate honor among approximately 30,000 of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's society. Ruberti was initiated students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Stacey Reissner of Bedford; Benjamin Ropiak of Cos Cob; and David Nasimi of Greenwich were recently placed on the Dean's Honor List at Gettysburg College. Charles Piro of Cos Cob a n d I s a b e l l a Cl e m e n s o f Riverside were recently placed on the Deans' Commendation List at Gettysburg College. Michael Rincon of R iverside; Emma Ryan of Greenwich; Falon Nethercott of Greenw ich; Makenna Goeller of Riverside; McKenna Goldstein of Bedford; Madeleine Macora of Cos Cob; Ali McMachan of Greenwich; and Stella Perrier of Riverside were named to Dean's List at The University of Rhode Island. The following students have been named to the dean's list at Bates College: Emily Bass of Old Greenwich who is majoring in politics and minoring in education and philosophy and Julia Raboy of Bedford, N.Y., who is majoring in gender and sexuality studies and minoring in philosophy and history. T he fol low i n g s t ude nt s have been named to Emerson

College's Dean's List: Diana Bravo of Old Greenwich who i s m aj or i n g i n Jou r n a l i sm and Francesca Polistina of Riverside who is majoring in Marketing Communication. T he fol low i n g s t ude nt s have made the Dean's Award w ith Distinction at Colgate University: Sara Wilson of Cos Cob who is a graduate of Greenwich HS Bella House, and is a International Relations major; Dillon Aryeh of Bedford who is a graduate of Fox Lane High School, and is a Classics major; Emma Gallagher of Greenwich who is a graduate of Greenwich Academy, and is a Film & Media Studies major; Holly Johnson of Greenwich who is a graduate of Greenwich Academy, and is a Computer Science major; Segundo Rienhardt who is a graduate of Greenwich HS Bella House, a nd i s a Cl a s sic a l St ud ie s major ; L au r en Wa kema n who is a graduate of Greenwich Academy, a nd is a Biolog y major; Ramy Berenblum of Bedford who is a graduate of Byram Hills High School, and is a Environmental Studies major; Megan Imperato of Greenwich who is a graduate of Greenwich HS Bella Hou s e , a nd i s a Compute r Science; Kate Anderson of Greenwich who is a graduate of Greenwich Academy, and is a Environmental Studies major; Caroline Baird of Old Greenwich who is a graduate of Greenwich Academy, and

is a English major; Isabella Gia m ma lva of Gr e enw ich who is a graduate of Greenwich Academy, and is a Psychological Science major; Brittany Parrott of Bedford who is a g raduate of Fox Lane H ig h School, and is an Economics major; Christopher Parrott of Bedford who is a graduate of King, and is a Economics major; Jacqueline Weitz of Greenwich who is a graduate of Fieldston School, and is a Economics major; Michael Connerty of Cos Cob who is a graduate of Greenwich HS Bella House, and is an Economics major; Charlotte Fleming of Bedford who is a graduate of Fox Lane High School, and is a English major; Grace Ha of Greenwich who is a graduate of Greenwich Academy, and is a History major; Alexandra Kriss of Greenwich who is a graduate of Middlesex School, and is a Classical Studies major. T he fol low i n g s t ude nt s have made the Dean's Award for Academic Excellence at Colgate University: Samantha G ould of Greenw ich is a g raduate of Gre enw ich H S Bella House, and a Applied Math major; Elizabeth De Palma of Bedford is a graduate of Fox Lane High School, and a A r t & A r t Histor y major; Sara Feidelson of Bedford is a graduate of The Taft School, and a Economics major; Peter Mullen of R iverside is a graduate of Brunswick School, and a History major; Nicholas

Veronis of Greenw ich is a g raduate of Gre enw ich H S Bella House, and a Economics major; Chase Kirkpatrick of Old Greenwich is a graduate of Greenwich HS Bella House, and a Mathematical Economics major at Colgate; Shannon Keefe of Greenwich is a graduate of Westminster School, and a Philosophy major at Colgate; Ethan Carmody of Bedford is a g raduate of Fox Lane High School, and a Economics major; Abigail K n i g h t o f O l d G r e e nw i c h is a g raduate of Convent of the Sacred Hear t, and a Biolog y major; Marcus Ng of Greenwich is a graduate of Greens Farms Academy, and a Environmental Economics major; Max Mindich of Greenw ich is a g raduate of Rye Country Day School, and a Economics major. The following students at Lehig h University attained Dean's List: Rebecca Grady of Greenwich; Alissa Landberg of Cos Cob; Caroline Robinson of Greenwich; Robert Lanni of Greenwich; Hetty Mcmillan of Old Greenw ich; Fa ly n Goldstein of Bedford; Timothy Ha n n a of O ld G r e e nw ich ; Sabrina Trabish of Greenwich; Leila Schneider of Greenwich; Ella Morrissey of Greenwich; Frederick Tucker of Old Greenwich; Mitchell Katz of Greenwich; Chelsea Clark of Cos Cob; Anne Frey of Riverside; Trista Ford of Greenwich.

ON EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

From the Greenwich Sentinel Foundation: our weekly newsletter from educators to Greenwich parents.

The printed edition has a Calvin & Hobbes Cartoon in this space which is not available in the digital edition.

“When did you grow a goatee?” By Mary Forde A friend was telling me how last week, she and her husband wer e hav i ng a pa r t ic u la rly tr y ing af ternoon w ith their children and they decided to just go outside and walk around for about 20 minutes. So they to ok appr opr iate ch i ldc a r e precautions and went outside and basically walked around the backyard. At one point my friend turned and looked at her partner in life and said, “When did you grow a goatee?” We both laughed but it started me thinking that while we have been physically close for almost a year now. In some ways we are more distant than BCV (before covid virus). Because we are physically in each other’s space for so long, maybe we have started just taking each other for granted. You know, like when you are in a rush and you leave the ironing board up, and then you realize

how convenient it is not to have to take it out and put it away and then, you kind of forget about it. Until you are on a zoom call with your mother and she comments t hat it mu st b e d i f f ic u lt to iron with all of the books and clothes and backpacks piled on the ironing board. You realize that without paying attention, the ironing board has become furniture. In some ways, I think that may be happening to our families, we have been so close for so long, we have stopped noticing each other ( except of course for those annoying habits that you wonder how you missed for so long!). As we head towards our one year anniversary of forced family togetherness, it may be time to reconnect to those people who have become the ironing boards in our lives. In trying to set up some distance from our spouse/ partner and children who have

Because we are physically in each other’s space for so long, maybe we have started just taking each other for granted. been physically in our space, we may have pulled back from sharing what is going on with us mentally, emotionally and socially. Look at some pictures of each other that were taken BCV – and point out how each of us have changed. Who is taller and how can you tell (you are now the same height as the refrigerator). I would suggest staying away from noticing who is chubbier. Who is wearing their hair differently? How has each member of the family changed

over this year of togetherness. Has no one noticed that you are now wearing ‘reading’ glasses all the time? It may be the right time to realize that in some ways the clock seems to have stopped but the reality is that each one of us is a different person than we were a year ago. It also might be interesting/ fun/scary to have one person write down the answer to a question and have the rest of the family try to guess what they wrote. What has been the favorite thing we have done as a

family since last March? What was the best/worst thing about quarantine? What has been your favorite binge watch? While we are all a little bit different outside (no, those jeans were always too tight), we are equally different inside and perhaps that difference is worth a little attention. This only works once but it is enlightening to have everyone stand up in the middle of a meal, turn around and describe what everyone is wearing. Again, as close as we have been, we may

have stopped really seeing each other – no, I have always worn the same sweatpants for two or three days. Once the vaccine was a n n o u n c e d , I t h i n k we a l l thought our lives would magically go back to BCV and not only did that not happen, we are now dealing with the additional stress of getting the vaccine. It almost feels like things may be worse. But I do believe we have turned the corner and it is time to reconnect and rediscover the people in in homes. Although I am sorry to admit this, not too long ago I said to my husband, “This was a short haircut.” And he replied “It was even shorter a week ago when I got it cut.” Ouch! I promise to pay more attention and perhaps eat one less donut. M a r y Fo r d e C h i e f P u p i l Personnel Services for Greenwich Public Schools

School Community Well-Being: Fall 2021 Planning

By Jack Creeden I t ’s s p r i n g ! We h a v e survived a Covid winter and c ond it ion s a r e i mpr ov i n g . Warmer weather, Passover a nd Ea ster v ac at ion s , a nd the variety of spring break holidays that are scattered across late March and April fill us with confidence and relief. School leaders are looking conf idently to Fall 2021. We anticipate retur ning in September to a dif ferent environment, but no one truly k nows what that means. In preparation for the fall, we must focus our attention on how best to help faculty, students and parents recover from this past year and anticipate a productive and healthy 2021-2022. STUDENTS All students will remember the 2020-2021 academic year. Whether they attended inperson ever y day, followed a hybrid model, or spent the entire year learning virtually, students have ex per ienced t he g r e ate s t d i sr upt ion i n the learning process. It could

be the kindergarten student adjusting to wearing a mask all day long, the middle schooler who sits behind a plexiglass shield on his/her desk, or the first year high school student who was new to the school and had to figure out how to make friends while going to class in person only three days a week. Every student felt the impact. Students have been bom ba rded w it h wa r n i ngs about their behavior to help them stay healthy. They have come to understand why their friends are not in class for 14 days, and have asked endless questions about the interrupted schedule of athletic events, after school activities and clubs. High school seniors have selected col leges based on v ir tual tours, and seen A P classes and tests modif ied, thus resulting in loss of college credits and improved course s ele c t ion s ne x t f a l l . S ome college freshmen were asked to leave campus shortly after arriving last summer, been regularly tested, quarantined, a nd assig ne d to l ive a lone in residence hall suites that once were t he hu bs of t he undergraduate experience. We k now from research that has already been conducted that these disruptions have adversely affected the social-emotional

health of students. There is a national call to help students m a ke up for t he ac adem ic losses due to Covid, but we must also focus on the socialemotional curriculum as well. Healthy students are more productive and engaged in the classroom. It is not simply a question of restoring literacy and numeracy skills that may have eroded this year. We need to devote time this summer a nd t h roug hout t he fa l l to attending to the emotional toll Covid has had on students. FACULTY When facu lt y are asked what is the greatest impact on their professional lives since Covid, they all respond the same. “It’s the fatigue.” Last March we asked te a c h e r s at e ve r y l e ve l to t ra nsfor m t hemselves i n a matter of days from master classroom teacher to distance learning guru regardless of any previous training. In some insta nces th is yea r we expected them to teach si mu lta neously to ha l f t he st udents, who were i n t he classroom, and the other half who were learning (watching?) at home. In other cases, students were fortunate to be in the classroom, but teachers had to monitor mask wearing, hand-washing and social distancing. Classroom

We must support faculty, students and parents who have endured the many disruptions we all faced this year. management became more complicated as the year progressed. Faculty are anxious about the health of their students, t h e i r ow n h e a lt h , a nd t h e health of their loved ones at home. They may be part of the sandwich generation, taking care of elderly parents while caring for children of their own. Students learn more and achieve better outcomes when their teachers are physically and emotionally healthy. Wellbalanced faculty are better able to support parents in meeting the developmental needs of students and in explaining classroom outcomes. We n e e d to d e vo te r e s ou r c e s t h i s spr i n g a nd su m mer to helpi ng facu lt y r e s t o r e t h e i r e n e r g y, enthusiasm and trust in the s c h o o l . S o m e f a c u lt y m ay benef it from a large block of time away f rom all schoolrelated activ ities. Others may choose to participate in summer programs designed to help students catch-up. But all faculty will need help in dealing with the unavoidable

physical and emotional demands that Covid presented. And as we think about the skills that post-Covid teachers will need, we know changes are coming. Faculty will not only be adept in traditional classroom activities, but a lso now employ a range of technolog ical assistance discovered a nd mastered during the last year. We have learned that technology can be used to support students i n ways we wer e u nawa r e of before Cov id emptied our classrooms.

pa rents have ex p er ience d. Undoubtedly, that stress led to increased anxiety. Families worried not only about their own children, but also wondered about the health of the other children in the class? R e q u i r e d to work f r om home, families found the dual challenge of professional responsibilities plus assisting in the online learning of children a huge obstacle. Some parents lost their jobs, others were forced to consider relocation as companies decided to change locations. All of these disruptions in the lives of parents presented a host of emotional stressors. As we plan for the fall, schools need to consider how to offer assistance to parents who are still hoping to recover from the multiple school demands Covid created. I am optimistic about returning to school in the fall under different circumstances. But we must prepare now to support our faculty, students and parents who have endured the many changes and disruptions we all faced this past year. Those efforts will create a healthier and more positive school community.

PARENTS All of us in schools must first offer thanks to parents for their support, understanding and collaboration since March of last year. Almost overnight we asked parents to become our classroom assistants in ways they never prepared for or imagined. Even the most i nvolve d hel icopter pa rent never envisioned the support we asked parents to provide. Jack Creeden . Ph .D. is the T h o s e n e w t e a c h i n g Head of Whitby School and a assistant roles created a level longtime administrative leader in of fatigue that none of us as independent schools.

Page 18 | Greenwich Sentinel

Suduko

Sudoku: each row, column, and nonet can contain each number only once. Answers on page 10.

Easy

Coloring

Page 19 | Greenwich Sentinel

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NEW LISTINGS

Data Compiled by Cesar Rabellino (203) 249-9866

List Price Price/ SqFt SqFt AC BR FB

Address 1525 Putnam Avenue 409 1465 Putnam Avenue 625 16 Ritch Avenue B 37 Sheephill Road 7 25 Elm Street 10 50 Laddins Rock Road 8 Windsor Lane 14 Pierce Road 32 Coachlamp Lane 12 Perna Lane 672 Steamboat Road 18 Osee Place 8 Lockwood Road 15 Idar Court 42 Indian Head Road 62 Park Avenue 185 Milbank Avenue W 184 Parsonage Road 170 Overlook Drive 1 Partridge Hollow Road 20 Marks Road 16 Martin Dale 110 Valley Drive 151 Indian Head Road 16 Dingletown Road 12 Mountain Wood Drive 21 Clapboard Ridge Road

$290,000 $399,999 $679,500 $730,000 $795,000 $848,000 $1,195,000 $1,400,000 $1,695,000 $1,925,000 $1,995,000 $2,095,000 $2,175,000 $2,295,000 $2,450,000 $2,495,000 $2,875,000 $3,350,000 $3,395,000 $3,695,000 $4,495,000 $4,995,000 $5,250,000 $5,350,000 $6,300,000 $8,995,000 $11,900,000

$430 $510 $503 $493 $636 $663 $543 $742 $676 $563 $757 $800 $624 $836 $809 $774 $851 $668 $595 $505 $737 $1,039 $599 $894 $630 $848 $1,394

674 784 1,350 1,480 1,250 1,280 2,202 1,888 2,508 3,417 2,634 2,618 3,484 2,744 3,029 3,225 3,377 5,018 5,705 7,319 6,097 4,806 8,767 5,982 10,000 10,611 8,537

0 0 0 0 0 0.25 0.3 0.5 0.49 0.5 0.17 0.19 0.34 0.12 0.55 0.17 0.2 1.25 0.72 4.03 0.3 0.55 1.62 1.08 1.63 2.08 6.13

1 1 2 3 2 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6

1 1 2 2 2 2 3 2 3 2 2 5 4 5 3 4 3 5 5 5 4 6 6 5 6 8 6

Area Old Greenwich Old Greenwich South of Post Road Riverside South of Post Road Old Greenwich Cos Cob Riverside Cos Cob Riverside South of Post Road Cos Cob Riverside South of Post Road Riverside Old Greenwich South of Post Road South Parkway South of Post Road North Parkway Riverside South Parkway South Parkway Riverside South Parkway South Parkway South Parkway

FEATURED OPEN HOUSES Data Compiled by Rob Pulitano [203] 561-8092

Address

Area

Greenwich 282 Round Hill Road Greenwich 131 Woodside Drive Greenwich Greenwich 5.25x10.5.qxp_Layout 1 3/26/21 70 Riverdale Avenue #703 Greenwich 50 Pecksland Road

Price

Day/Time

Broker

$3,999,900 $3,750,000 $16,000 10:48 AM Page 1 $795,000

Sat 12-2 PM Sat 12-2 PM Sat 1-3 PM Sat 2-4 PM

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Data Compiled by Cesar Rabellino (203) 249-9866 Address Original List 5 Putnam Park $399,000.0 69 View Street $699,000.0 24 Homestead Road $799,900.0 51 Forest Avenue 2 $1,325,000.0 81 Bible Street B $1,495,000.0 282 Sound Beach Avenue $1,895,000.0 28 Hassake Road $2,195,000.0 126 Stonehedge Drive North $2,150,000.0 98 Lower Cross Road $2,350,000.0 131 Woodside Drive $2,765,000.0 91 Elm Street N $3,695,000.0 110 Elm Street S $3,975,000.0 143 Otter Rock Drive $5,750,000.0

List Price $399,000.0 $669,500.0 $785,000.0 $1,199,500.0 $1,495,000.0 $1,895,000.0 $2,195,000.0 $2,150,000.0 $2,195,000.0 $2,765,000.0 $3,495,000.0 $3,975,000.0 $5,750,000.0

Sold Price DOM BR FB Acres SqFt $399,000.0 33 2 1 $691,500.0 115 4 2 0.13 1,634 $780,000.0 278 3 2 0.22 1,240 $1,199,500.0 224 3 3 0 2,240 $1,495,000.0 59 3 3 3,000 $1,880,000.0 67 4 2 0.21 2,472 $2,155,000.0 360 5 4 0.18 4,921 $2,215,000.0 43 6 4 1 4,878 $2,300,000.0 146 5 4 0.56 3,401 $2,700,000.0 17 4 3 0.42 4,161 $3,350,000.0 195 4 4 0 3,948 $3,650,000.0 153 3 5 0 4,336 $5,437,500.0 113 7 4 0.76 6,978

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Mandatory, Maximum Twice-Weekly Sprinkler Irrigation Schedule Last Digit of Your Address Number Please Water Only On: 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 (even numbers) Sunday & Wednesday 12:01 am – 10:00 am, or 6:00 pm – Midnight 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 (odd numbers)

Saturday & Tuesday 12:01 am – 10:00 am, or 6:00 pm – Midnight

No address number

Sunday & Wednesday 12:01 am – 10:00 am, or 6:00 pm – Midnight