Friday, November 22, 2019
www.northhavencitizen.com
Volume 12, Number 35
Stirk addresses student equity concerns
‘DIVERSITY IS GOOD’
By Everett Bishop The Citizen
Superintendent of Schools Patrick Stirk recently spoke to the school board about the disparity in “the number of minority students taking higher level courses” in math and English at the high school.
In this file photo, Sherman Katz recites a Hanukkah prayer before lighting the menorah on the North Haven town green.
Menorah lighting becomes a holiday tradition in town By Everett Bishop The Citizen
For the past four years, North Haven has included a menorah lighting on the town green as part of its winter holiday traditions. While Christmas is often the focus this time of year – nine out of 10 Americans say they celebrate the holiday – the town has chosen to diversify its seasonal symbolism. Sherman Katz, a Jewish resident of North Haven, has been a primary force behind the annual menorah lighting ceremony on the town green in recognition of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights.
This year, the ceremony begins on Sunday, Dec. 22 and ends on Monday, Dec. 30.
“You have to get out of your shell, you have to get out and around.”
“The first year that this started, Mr. Freda asked me to take charge. I put this in the papers and about 40 people showed up,” Katz said. “I want people to know that North Haven is an open city, we welcome everyone. Diversity is good.”
In order to improve visible diversity in town and educate people on the Jewish faith and Hanukkah, Katz began organizing this local annual event.
Katz recalled that in the 1970s he moved to North Haven with his wife and at that time two neighbors remarked that he, as a member of the Jewish faith, was “no different than them.” “This is how some people thought 50-60 years ago,” he said.
“We’re actively recruiting students and holding conversations with their families in order to encourage them to take these higher level classes,” Stirk said at the Thursday, Nov. 14 Board of Education meeting. The superintendent added that the high school has an open enrollment policy which gives students the opportunity to choose those higher level courses. Stirk said the process of forming an exploratory
group to look at ways to address the issue was underway. North Haven schools also will look into grants through ACES (Area Cooperative Educational Services) to help with efforts to recruit more minority teachers and staff. Board of Education member Jennifer Ceccarelli has pushed to take a closer look at this disparity. She said, “It sounds like (Stirk) has a lot of awesome things going on.” Repairs to the high school track also were discussed at the Nov. 14 meeting. “Our track is in need of extensive repairs,” Stirk said. Track repairs were included in the middle school building project, but an unanticipated replacement of the middle school See Stirk, A4
Each night for the eight days of Hanukkah, prayers are read in Hebrew and English and a candle is lit until the entire menorah is set aglow. This year, Rabbi Brian Immerman from Hamden’s Congregation Mishkan Israel will join the North Haven Hanukkah celebration as well. See Menorah, A5
At its recent meeting, the North Haven Board of Education talked about plans to address racial disparity in higher level classes at NHHS and repairs to the high school track. Photo by Everett Bishop, The Citizen