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Friday, January 23, 2015
NHS junior excels in the arts, despite challenges STAFF WRITER
NEWINGTON — Many face obstacles while pursuing their dreams, but it’s not often they’re told their talent, gift or livelihood could be stolen away forever. F o r 16-yearold Grace Rizzuto, that nightmare seemed like it might become real when doctors discovered a tumor the size of a tennis ball in her neck. Surgery to remove it could also remove her ability to speak or sing, they told her. Rizzuto, a budding singer and actress said she couldn’t bear the thought. “I cried for three days straight,” she remembered.
Then on Aug. 1, 2013, she underwent surgery. Doctors said it could be three days before she might speak again, if at all. She spoke that same day. In the months that followed, Rizzuto retrained her voice a n d returned to performing. Despite having a titanium plate in her neck, she’s pretty much back to normal. Now a junior, she has been in four of the five plays put on during her time at Newington High School. Currently, she’s preparing to take on the role of Fastrada in “Pippin” on March 26-28. She was recently nominated for a HALO Award by the Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury for her role as Harriet Smith in the school’s production of “Emma.” Rizzuto’s involvement in performing arts began in the fifth
With a tennis ballsized tumor in her neck, Grace Rizzuto wondered if she’d ever be able to talk or sing again.
Volume 55, No. 4
Free
See TEEN, Page 5
Cramped up
Crowded library seeks expansion By ERICA SCHMITT STAFF WRITER
NEWINGTON — The Lucy Robbins Welles Library is no longer on the back burner of town buildings to be renovated — it is quickly becoming a priority. Library staff and volunteers gave an emotionally-charged
presentation to the Town Council at its last meeting, urging officials to consider their plea for an expansion. Cramped space is just the beginning of the current facility’s woes. There are also inadequate storage areas and not enough computers, meeting space or parking spots. Councilors were offered the
opportunity to tour the library before the meeting and after the presentation; most agreed it did not meet present-day standards. “I felt claustrophobic everywhere we went,” councilor Elizabeth McDonald said of her experience during the tour. “It’s very evident to all of us that we
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