HEADLINE REWIND

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This week we introduce Headline Rewind, a regular feature that will take a look back at a news story related to Lewis or Southington High School culled from the archives of our local newspapers. We first rewind back 90 years to the scene of a mystery on Academy Street...

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TWO SOUTHINGTON SCHOOLS ROBBED

(From The Hartford Courant, February 24, 1921)

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Burglars forced an entrance through a window in the basement of the Lewis High School between 5:30 Tuesday afternoon and 5 o'clock Wednesday morning and forced the door leading to the office of Principal Burton E. Cook. They rifled Mr. Cook's desk and broke open a cabinet and took a small amount of change which Mr. Cook had.

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The thieves attempted to smash open a trunk in the supply room of the office where it was stated there was a considerable sum of money, but they evidently could not break the lock.

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After leaving the high school they secure a large plank and placed it in a position so that they could open one of the windows at the Lincoln School. After gaining entrance here they rifled the desks of the teachers in one or two of the rooms and were evidently scared away before they could visit all the rooms. Up until a late hour last night, the police had no clue as to who the burglars might be. The only evidence the police had to work on was a screwdriver and a jimmy which the thieves left behind when they ransacked the school. The desks of Mr. Cook were badly damaged while the locks on the doors were smashed. Mr. Foley, janitor, discovered the theft yesterday morning.

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It will be recalled that when William K. Holmes was principal of the high school he advised the purchase of a small safe and the break of yesterday caused a large number to recall the advice given by Mr. Holmes.

BLOGGER HAS MADE SOME
SERIOUS CHANGES SO...
WE'RE BACK!

THIS JUST IN...
...REUNION NEWS
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Ok, members of the Class of 1973, get over the fact that you graduated nearly 40 years ago and get ready to celebrate! Your class reunion, the "SHS '73 Superbash II" is set to take place from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, 2011 at the American Legion in Plainville. Organizers say the first Superbash last year was so great that they can't wait for the sequel.
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Admission is $30 and tickets need to be purchased by June 15. Our Alumni Connect! Facebook group buddy John West is one of those leading the effort. You can reach him in the group by clicking on the link in our sidebar or you can find more information by visiting the Superbash website here.

Birthday wishes go out to

Matthew Saccoman, Class of 1995

and

Alyssa Fontana, Class of 2004!

Julie (Plawecki) Dempsey,

Class of 1995, turns 34 today!

THIS JUST IN...

...REUNION NEWS

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The Southington High School Class of 1981 is organizing a reunion to mark its 30th anniversary in the fall. Plans right now call for a gathering on Oct. 8, 2011. To keep up on what's happening, class members are asked to join the Class of '81 group on Facebook, which can be found by clicking here.

This Won't Count Toward
Your Final Grade:
ALUMNI Quick Quiz Answer
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Last week we listed the department chairpersons from the 1981-1982 school year alongside departments they didn't run. Here's the correct lineup:
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Ken Farmer, Agriculture
Janet Viselle, Business
Angela Orsene, Foreign Language
Anita Zobbi, Mathematics
Audrey Zack, Social Studies
Joan Wallace, English
John Wisner, Art
Robert DeBishop, Science

Fred Farley, Vocational Education

Lois Busa, Physical Education
Frances Hallett, Home Economics

and we left out...

David Germano, Industrial Arts

COMING SOON!

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Yes, we've said it before, but now we mean it...

Don't miss our new feature, "Faculty Lounge," where we take a few minutes to see what some of our favorite teachers are up to, whether they're still in the classroom or enjoying retirement.

This Won't Count Toward
Your Final Grade:
The ALUMNI Quick Quiz
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Okay, flashback to the 1981-1982 school year. Each faculty member listed below was a department chairperson. But the department they are listed alongside is incorrect. Match them up with the right one.

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Ken Farmer, Art

Janet Viselle, Physical Education

Angela Orsene, Social Studies

Anita Zobbi, Vocational Education

Audrey Zack, Business

Joan Wallace, Home Economics

John Wisner, Agriculture

Robert DeBishop, Industrial Arts

Fred Farley, Foreign Language

Lois Busa, English

Frances Hallett, Mathematics

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Put in your two cents by clicking Comments below.
Answers will be revealed next week.

Beth (Traini) Kostenko,

Class of 1994, turns 35 today!

and

Sage (Olson) Myska,

Class of 1995, turns 34 today!

Jankura memorial slated for March 20
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Plans have been announced for a memorial for retired Southington High School Art teacher Cheryl A. Jankura, who died last weekend at the age of 63.

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The memorial will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 20, at the New Britain Museum of American Art. According to organizers, a reception will follow.

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The museum is located at 56 Lexington St. in New Britain. For directions or more information on the museum, click here. For more information on the memorial, please e-mail us at shsalum@gmail.com.

Tracy Dionne-Giersz,

Class of 1993, turns 36 today!

and

Tara (Ferguson) Berk,

Class of 1994, turns 35 today!

Retired Art teacher Cheryl Jankura dies

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Cheryl A. Jankura, a retired Southington High School art teacher whose name for 23 years was synonymous with the school’s photography program, died this morning after a battle with cancer. She was 63 years old.
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Ms. Jankura (known affectionately by her students as “Miss J”) was a 36-year veteran of the Southington school system, teaching visual arts at the elementary level from 1969 until moving to SHS in 1982. She taught a variety of art courses through the years, including the art portion of the Theater Arts program and the photography classes that she transformed into one of the school’s most popular electives. She retired in 2005.
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Prior to her recent illness, a group of Ms. Jankura’s former students had been organizing the design of a perennial garden honoring her years at Southington High School.

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Details of funeral arrangements were unavailable as of Saturday afternoon.
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To share your memories of Ms. Jankura, please click on Comments below or visit our Facebook page (which can be accessed by clicking on the link in our Links sidebar).

Karen Cavanaugh, Class of 1984,

and a teacher in the

SHS Special Education Department,
turns 45 today!

DOM D'ANGELO,

SHS COACHING ICON,

DIES AT 87
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Legendary Southington High School football coach and athletic director Dominic D'Angelo has died at the age of 87. To view his obituary, please click here.
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You are encouraged to visit our Facebook page (see the link in the sidebar) or click Comments below to share your memories of Coach D'Angelo.

We offer Valentine's Day birthday wishes to

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Carole Alberti,

Retired chairperson of the SHS English Department

and

Kim Horton, Class of 1988!

Nicole (Vieira) Biernat,

Class of 1995, turns 34 today!

and

Lisa Dunlap,
Class of 1994, turns 35 today!

This Won't Count Toward

Your Final Grade:
The ALUMNI Quick Quiz ANSWER

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Last week we asked which one of the three teachers named did not pass away while still teaching at Southington High School.

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The answer:

JOHN WISNER

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Both English Department chairman Arthur Payne and Industrial Arts teacher Ken Conrad were still teaching when they died. Mr. Payne had been an English teacher at SHS for 20 years when he died of a heart attack at the age of 51 in April 1979. Mr. Conrad had been at SHS for 15 years when he died at 44 in April 1987. Mr. Wisner, a veteran Art teacher and former department chairman, retired in 1994. He died two years later at the age of 70.

Tom Graves,

Class of 1994, turns 36 today!

Roll up your sleeve, it's time
for a belated birthday blood drive

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No doubt some of you Southington High alumni did volunteer work at one time or another for the former Southington Red Cross. Some of the town's most notable civic leaders started their careers in community service with the old Red Cross chapter, led by executive director Betty Kroher.

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If you remember your time with the Red Cross or simply recall what an icon Mrs. Kroher became when she ran the Red Cross, roll up your sleeve and head out to the blood drive held in her honor later this month.

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St. Dominic Church, located at 1050 Flanders Rd., will host the 5th Annual Betty Kroher Birthday Blood Drive from 1:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb 23. The drive, run by the American Red Cross, was postponed from the fall.
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The blood drive pays homage each year to Kroher around the time of her October birthday. She was the first and only executive director of the former Southington Red Cross, serving from 1964 until the chapter was disbanded in 1992. She has been associated with the Red Cross since the late 1950s and continues in her 80s to volunteer for organizations including the Calvanese Foundation. In 2009 she was presented with the first Southington Humanitarian Award, which was subsequently renamed in her honor. The first recipient of the Betty Kroher Humanitarian Spirit Award will be selected in the fall at the sixth annual drive.
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For more information or to receive drive updates, join the Annual Betty Kroher Birthday Blood Drive page on Facebook by clicking here. To schedule an appointment or to inquire about donation requirements, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or visit http://www.ctredcross.org/.

Melissa St. Onge,

Class of 1995, turns 34 today!

This Won't Count Toward

Your Final Grade:

The ALUMNI Quick Quiz

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Which one of the following teachers did not pass away

while still on the faculty at Southington High School?

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A. Art teacher JOHN WISNER

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B. Industrial Arts teacher KEN CONRAD

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C. English teacher ARTHUR PAYNE

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Put your two cents in by clicking Comments below. Answer will be revealed next week.

Did You Know...

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Fifty years ago this month, Lewis High School graduate Robert Foley became the first clerk

of the Bristol Superior Court?

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In 1960, Bob Foley was in the midst of his seventh term as Southington's town clerk. With the new courthouse opening in downtown Bristol, Mr. Foley set his sights on what he would admit years later was simply job security. One of the most popular and respected local civic leaders of his time, he knew the whim of the voters could cast you out of office - and out of a job - in any election. (That was, after all, how he was first elected town clerk in 1946, besting incumbent Herman Muus.) So with a family to support, he sought the clerk's post at GA #17, which was part of the new court system that made obsolete municipal courts effective in January 1961.

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Foley was succeeded as town clerk by Joseph A. DePaolo, whose job as local judge had been eliminated when the municipal court was abolished. DePaolo, a 1926 Lewis High grad, died in office four years later (and is the namesake of one of Southington's middle schools.) He was succeeded by his wife, Juanine DePaolo, who held the job for 27 years and became a community icon.

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Despite his popularity and connections in local and state political circles, Mr. Foley never again held public office after stepping down as town clerk. He left the Bristol court in 1978 when he accepted a similar post in New Haven, the job from which he would retire in 1989. He died in 2005 at the age of 85.

Todd Gwiazdowski,

Class of 1994, turns 36 today!

Daniella (Roy) Achim,

Class of 1994, turns 35 today!

Polansky takes suspended sentence, probation
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Former Southington superintendent of schools Harvey B. Polansky, charged last year with sexual assault and breach of peace as the superintendent in Milford, has taken a 30-day suspended sentence and six months of probation after accepting a plea deal yesterday.
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To view the story on the deal in today's New Haven Register, click here.

Karyn Fortier, Class of 1997,

turns 31 today!

The Alumni Connect! is Twittering...

Find us @SouthingtonAlum

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Get updates on our postings, upcoming contests, reunion information and other news by following us on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/SouthingtonAlum

Susan Laude, Class of 1965,

turns 64 today!

Amy Blumenreder, Class of 1994,

turns 35 today!