Opinion

Op-Ed: New Canaan Needs to Better Prepare Students for SAT

By |

“Talent is equally distributed, opportunity is not.” -Leila Janah 

Recently, I was speaking with a friend and he expressed frustration not only with his performance on the SAT but also his lack of access to test prep resources due to financial constraints. I believe this is unfair given that most students at NCHS can both afford and take for granted that private SAT classes are an essential part of their high school journey. 

We pride ourselves on our academic rigor and extremely strong school district rankings. However, we do very little to prepare all students for the one test that is incredibly important for every student’s future after graduation: the SAT. 

Our town needs to offer SAT prep classes to all students. This is particularly important given an overall decline in New Canaan’s SAT scores from the 2018-19 academic year to the last reportable year, 2022-23, according to state education data. (New Canaan’s scores did improve slightly year-over-year from 2021-22 to 2022-23 in both English-Language Arts and Math, the data say.). 

Why is the SAT so important?

Opinion

Letter from New Canaan Library

By |

To the Editor:
Like the many volunteers in Town who commit time and talent to benefit our community, the New Canaan Library Board is dedicated to providing exceptional service to New Canaanites. We are equally proud to operate as a trusted fiduciary partner to government and taxpayers. Given this history, we were both surprised and deeply disappointed in Town Council’s decision to halve our one-time request for an increase in its contribution to the Library’s operating budget which was designed to meet the extraordinary demand we have experienced this past year. The action taken by the Town Council will force us to slash the Library’s programs and services to a level that would have barely been sufficient in the old Library building. This is a step backwards and certainly not what our community wants.

Footer Featured Widget

Letter to the Editor

By |

NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letter. Send your letters to editor@newcanaanite.com to have them published here. ***

I think Brad & Vandy Reh Fine & Estate Jewelry is an incredible resource , sort of hidden away, like a hidden gem. I feel like they are a throwback from a time when you were greeted by name with personalized care by gracious and kind owners Van and Brad Reh. I only learned about them from a friend.

Opinion

Letters to the Editor

By |

NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letters to the editor. Email editor@newcanaanite.com to have a letter published here. 

***

Dear Editor,

Now that the nice weather enables us to be outdoors, we are once again assaulted by the relentless noise of gas powered leaf blowers. This assault on our peace and quiet will be ongoing for about 8 months. New Canaan needs to ban gas powered leaf blowers. Fanny Moran

***

Dear Editor,

As a neighbor of St Luke’s School for 32 years, I’m writing in behalf of the group that is contesting the school’s application to build a 200-car parking lot under a new turf football field on their campus.

Opinion

Letter to the Editor

By |

NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letter to the editor. Email editor@newcanaanite.com to have a letter published here. 

***

As anyone who has spent several decades living in New Canaan knows, public social gatherings are met with a certain level of decorum that suits the event. Joy at the carol sing, excitement at the fireworks, reverence on Memorial Day. 

Monday’s eclipse viewing in Irwin Park among the daffodils promised another shared experience with small groups of appreciative visitors, separate and distanced well from each other, all with the purpose of viewing a worldwide significant celestial event, some of us for the last time in our lives. 

About halfway through the earth’s path, a crowd of loud, young soccer players arrived, shouting and screaming as they kicked a ball through the flowers and fields, disrupting the event and coming dangerously close to hitting a lovely couple who’d been there for hours quietly awaiting the event. The parents present did nothing to turn the children’s attention to what everyone else gathered to see, talked among themselves, most missing the event as it slowly unfolded. 

Nothing was done to teach these children how to respect others, appreciate natural phenomenons and to understand that joining an event late and unprepared does not allow you to ruin it for those already present. 

We are all diminished by the rude and ignorant behavior of others. I can only hope that those responsible read the New Canaanite and get the message, but I doubt they take the time to learn about the charm and dignity they could be part of if only they appreciated where they live. 

Ellen Kiernan