Volume 26, Number 21
www.towntimes.com
Friday, August 21, 2020
Pilot Mark Scott sits in an RV-12 plane built by Wilcox Technical High School students and members of the “Teens to Flight” program at Meriden-Markham Airport. From left, Jaden Rogers, of Meriden, Tyler Stout, of Wethersfield, Kylie Johnson, of Middlefield, Kieran McGeary, of Meriden, and Spencer Jenkins, of Meriden, are some of the many plane's builders. The plane took more than four years to construct. Photo by Dave Zajac, RecordJournal
Area students build airplane By Sean Krofssik Record-Journal staff
MERIDEN — Friday, Aug. 14 was a great day for flying, especially for 24 Wilcox Tech students and members of the “Teens to Flight” program who built an RV12 airplane. The Vans RV-12, built under the guidance of the local chapter of
the Experimental Aircraft Association, initially took flight on May 14. The aircraft, which took about four and a half years to build, was part of EAA’s Give Flight Program, a project launched in 2015 with the goal of assisting five chapters to build and launch an aircraft, and form a flying club around the project.
Test pilot and chapter mentor Mark Scott took the maiden light in May and flew the RV-12 again as part of last Friday’s press conference at Meriden-Markham Airport. The students built 90 to 95 percent of the plane with adults watching. Scott, who organized and oversaw See Building, A6
Students headed to college face new experience By Michael Gagne Record-Journal staff
Trevor Messina’s career as a University of Connecticut student started Monday; move in day. Messina, who just graduated from Southington High School, will not have a roommate, due to COVID19 restrictions. Nor will he start classes right away. He and other UConn freshmen will start their studies with a two-week quarantine period. Many classes will be online. Messina is majoring in music education. His French horn lessons —
at least for the first semester — will be conducted over video conference. Like many other incoming college students, he has been told it’s not going to be the college experience he is expecting. He is quick to counter: “I’ve never been to college. I’ve only heard it from stories. So I don’t have an expectation of what it’s going to be. “I’m going to college. And whatever my experience is there, it is going to be my first experience so I’m not aware of what I’m missing
out on,” he added. Whether area students continue their studies at campuses that are less than a day trip away, or hundreds or even thousands of miles away, chances are their campuses are taking different approaches to quarantining and grouping students. Some schools will conduct COVID-19 tests more regularly than others. Fairfield University is about a 45minute trek down Route 15 from Cheshire. Nicole Perugini is looking forward to moving in on Aug. See College, A4
CIAC pauses fall sports By Greg Lederer Record-Journal staff
On Friday, the road toward bringing back high school fall sports took another turn. A day after receiving a letter from the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Board of Control had a meeting and announced that they would be pausing all in-person fall sports activities through Aug. 24. Coaches are allowed to promote virtual contact and conditioning. “During next week, we will take additional time to review and understand all of the recommendations made by DPH,” said CIAC Executive Director Glenn Lungarini. “We have invited DPH to meet with us next Thursday (Aug. 20), along with our medical advisors to insure that we have a full understanding of their recommendations and the COVID metrics and science that led to them.” On Wednesday, Aug. 12, the CIAC Board of Control voted 17-0 to move forward with all of their fall sports, but in the three-page letter addressed to Lungarini, DPH said that sports and extra-curricular activities should be postponed for at least two weeks after the reopening of schools. With proper education, DPH said that it would recommend allowing students to play lower-risk sports like cross country and girls’ swim and dive, as well as soccer classified as a moderate-risk sport. However, DPH felt that girls’ volleyball and football should be pushed back to the spring of 2021 or canceled. Those sports are listed as moderate and high-risk, respectively. Lungarini had asked DPH to review See CIAC, A15