www.towntimes.com
Volume 26, Number 12
Friday, June 19, 2020
In-person graduation set Middlefield resident running for open 82nd District seat
By Everett Bishop Town Times
Results from a recent survey of Coginchaug seniors will help shape their final school activities, and that includes an in-person graduation for the Class of 2020.
By Everett Bishop Town Times
After moving to Connecticut 20 years ago, Middlefield resident Michael Skelps committed himself to helping his community. Now he’s taking that vision one step further.
On Wednesday, June 10, Principal Brian Falcone told the Board of Education that Coginchaug Regional High School plans to hold an inperson graduation ceremony for all 124 graduates on Friday, July 31. The ceremony will be for students only to attend and will be livestreamed for parents and family members. “The information we have now, with the maximum number of people that starts after July 6, is we can gather 150 people. So it’s kind of fortunate that we have a small high school graduating class in this circumstance,” he said. Falcone said that administration had sent a survey to the senior class in order to determine how students wanted to shape their graduation. “There were two priorities that were crystal clear to the kids: the first is that they all wanted to be together as a class one last time … The second is they wanted the opportunity to say good-
After serving in local community organizations and sitting on both the Middlefield Board of Zoning Appeals and Board of Finance, Skelps is hoping to take his experience to Hartford as he vies for the 82nd District seat in the House of Representatives.
Coginchaug Regional High School commencement will be held on Friday, July 31. Pictured: At last spring’s graduation ceremony, this Coginchaug Class of 2019 member shared the message: “Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” Bailey Wright, Record-Journal
bye to their teachers,” he said.
BOE meeting, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathryn Serino discussed the disTo meet that second retrict’s plan for reopening. quest, Falcone said, “We Currently, the district is are going to do a reverse working with BlumShapiro, parade with our faculty up an auditing firm that has and down Pickett Lane so created “a very compreour kids will have the hensive return-to-work chance to say goodbye.” document.” Also during the recent
See Graduation, A6
“I was always interested in getting involved in local leadership and local causes, even in high school,” the Republican said. “Of course you get out of school, you work, you have a family, there is only so much time to do these things.” Now with his sons out of the house, Skelps said this was “a good time” to declare his candidacy as a representative of Middlefield, Rockfall and a section of Meriden. The pathway to the 82nd
District has become much smoother with Democratic incumbent Emil “Buddy” Altobello Skelps confirming his retirement in April after 26 years in the General Assembly. Skelps will oppose Democratic candidate Michael Quinn of Meriden, who decided to run after years working behind the scenes in Democratic city politics. “I assumed like everyone else that Buddy would just hold this seat forever,” Quinn said while accepting his party’s nomination. “But all good things do come to an end, and while we are all sorry to see him retire, I want to thank Buddy for everything he has done to represent the citizens of Meriden, Middlefield and Rockfall these many years ... He leaves a huge pair of shoes to fill and I will do my best to be up to this task.” See 82nd District, A28
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