Sarah Kesselbrenner offered her time on the snowboarding trip to help me because I had never been skiing before. She was a great snowboarder and a good teacher and didn’t let me give up even when I sat there screaming. She easily could have left me behind to go on the harder runs, but she stayed and literally ended up pushing me down the mountain. This is demonstrative of her fierce loyalty and perseverance in tackling things that seem impossible, for example, teaching Aly Budd how to snowboard.

In Ms. Manyak’s Biology class, Noah Bell has really stepped up with his junior leadership skills.  Ms. Manyak asked for someone to help me out in class, and he stepped up and helped out. Noah Bell is truly Star of the Week status.

Sean Kadagian is making a significant effort to reach out to the community.  He is extremely capable of expressing himself on paper and I see him more and more on campus and at meals engaging with the community.  He is following through with the statement he made at the morning meeting and that is a step of leadership and commitment that I have not yet seen of him

A star of the week I would recommend is Kyle Freitag. He has done everything asked from him. He has proctored JV basketball crew and been a leader at practice and games. He shows a great deal of concern for his peers and always makes sure they are performing to their best, I thank Kyle for this.

Jake Abelman has been a positive presence around campus.  Not only did Jake work hard helping to get the ice rink ready, he was helpful in working alongside 2-4 on Wednesday.

If anyone has taken the time to skate, you may have noticed the tireless effort of Mr. Rigney who has spent hours making sure the ice is up to the standards needed for hockey or free skating.  Beyond sweeping, chipping, and re-flooding the rink, Mr. Rigney has even created a “home-beeni” (or homemade zamboni) to smooth the ice.  This dedication to making the weekends a little more special definitely deserves a star of the week shout out!

Alanna Priest not only has been a positive member of the community since her arrival with her smile, sense of humor and ability to brighten spirits around her (one in particular*,) but she has also taken the time to create a phenomenal  poster for the Varsity Drama team to be proud of.  Assistant to the Athletic Director Bill Fabiano even remarked, “this is like good enough to be used for Broadway or something,” as he wiped away a glistening layer of tears.  Hopefully her artwork will pull people in by the masses to see Pirates of Penzance February 19th and 20th at 730 in the Cultural Center Theatre at Hyde School located at 150 Route 169 Woodstock, CT 06281…tell your friends.