News

‘A Remarkable Resource’: ‘The Dome’ at NCHS Provides Students With Unique Learning Opportunity

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“The Dome,” New Canaan High School’s new immersive learning theater—a space formerly known as “the planetarium”—saw a surge in usage last year as it became a center of the district’s learning, officials say. The Board of Education received an update on The Dome’s growth and future plans at its Monday meeting. “The Dome has become a remarkable resource for our faculty and staff, transforming the way that we explore, learn, and connect,” NCHS Director of Innovation Melinda Meyer told board members at their regular meeting, held in the Wagner Room at NCHS and via YouTube. “In its first full year, The Dome hosted experiences that inspired curiosity across disciplines, sparked collaboration among teachers, and immersed students in learning that felt both personal and shared,” Meyer said as she began her presentation. The Dome officially opened in the spring of 2024.

Boob Protect

New Canaan Couple’s Breast Protection Device Lands in Prominent Retail Store

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A New Canaan couple’s athletic brand, Boob Protect, has landed its first retail placement at Darien Sport Shop. 

A breast protection insert for female athletes, Boob Protect was co-founded by town resident Christian Murphy and his brother-in-law, Matt Plavoukos, in January 2025. The idea was inspired by Murphy’s childhood friend, who originally founded the product “Boob Armour” in Australia. Christian Murphy and his wife, Stacy Murphy, who serves as COO of Boob Protect, have spent months researching and pitching their product, ultimately culminating in this new partnership with Darien Sport Shop. “It’s hard to overstate the significance of this partnership; it’s huge,” Christian Murphy said of his product finding a new home. “To be in such an established, iconic Fairfield County institution in Darien Sport Store is a huge vote of confidence in the product and the need to offer breast protection for female athletes.”

He continued: “The visibility this placement will bring is extraordinary and will help raise awareness for breast health in women’s sports.”

Christian Murphy detailed the process of putting Boob Protect on the store’s walls, describing that his team reached out to Darien Sport Shop, and the store was incredibly receptive to the idea.

Around Town

Former Resident Returns 60-Year-Old Plant to Bristow Park

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Most seven-year-old boys like to spend their days inside playing video games; most like to race toy cars and look at picture books. Yet, that wasn’t Ken Booth. While most of his peers were watching superhero TV shows, Booth was becoming somewhat of nature’s “Robin Hood.”

Booth, who graduated from New Canaan High School in 1976, grew up across the street from Bristow Park and spent his childhood traversing the sanctuary’s beauty. He’d go with his family and friends into the park to play games and explore the vegetation. During these adventures, young Booth developed a fascination for plants, especially a flowering plant called a Jack-in-the-Pulpit.

Business

New Canaan Resident Launches ‘Neilism’ Daily Affirmation App

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Sitting down at his kitchen table, engulfed by personal turmoil and the grip of a global pandemic, New Canaan resident Neil Charran couldn’t help but wonder, “How did I get here?”

While pondering this question, Charran was inspired to grab a pen and start writing:

You are enough. You’re going to get through this. Everything is going to be okay. They were the words he wished he’d heard—the truths he wished he’d known—in the hardest moments of his life. “I found myself looking for little sparks of hope and wisdom to get me through each day,” Charran told NewCanaanite.com on a recent morning.

Business

Back-to-School Shopping Underway in Local Stores

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New Canaan shops are preparing their back-to-school displays ahead of the new school year. Manager of Groove Judi Anders described that the store is “starting to see business pick up as people return to town for back-to-school shopping.”

Multiple other stores in town reiterated this sentiment, as their sales have increased with the fall season approaching. Groove has started to curate their back-to-school shopping inventory and currently offers a wide array of school materials and clothing options for both genders. “We have a little bit of everything in here,” Anders said. “We sell girls’ clothing of all ages, and we carry boys up to size sixteen.”

The store sells backpacks, lunchboxes, bag charms, key chains, and several other smaller necessities for the school year.