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‘We Don’t Worry Alone’: NCHS To Launch Suicide Prevention Effort

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District officials are launching a suicide prevention effort at New Canaan High School this week that will include a special message delivered prior to the Rams’ football home opener on Friday. On Wednesday, NCHS will introduce the concept of “We Don’t Worry Alone,” according to an email that Principal Bill Egan sent Tuesday afternoon to the school community. “We believe it’s an important message for everyone, reminding students that no matter the size of their problems, they don’t have to face them alone,” the email said. The initiative follows the untimely passing of a beloved NCHS senior. School counselors continue to work with students seeking support, and this week will “introduce the theme and emphasize the importance of reaching out for help, supporting each other in times of distress, and overcoming barriers to seeking assistance,” Egan said in the email.

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Services To Be Held Monday for NCHS Senior Elliott Kropf

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The family of Elliott Kropf, a New Canaan High School senior who died last weekend, will hold a service and life celebration at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Aloysius Church. The service will be followed at approximately 12 or 12:15 p.m. for a Life Celebration at Weeburn Beach Club, 112 Roton Ave. in Rowayton/Norwalk. 

“Bring hockey sticks and/or golf clubs to Weeburn for a moment of silence and group photo of children on the beach,” family representatives say. “We encourage you to share your memories, stories, or anecdotes about Elliott at elliott22forever@gmail.com,” they said.

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Selectmen, BOE Honor Deceased NCHS Student

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Town officials this week have called for moments of silence at public meetings to honor the life and memory of a New Canaan High School student who died Saturday. During Monday’s Board of Education meeting, Chair Hugo Alves called for the elected body to “take a moment of silence to honor and remember Elliott Kropf, a beloved member of our school community who tragically passed away this weekend.”

“Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time,” Alves said at the start of the school board’s regular meeting, held in the Wagner Room at New Canaan High School. 

New Canaan’s highest elected official, First Selectman Dionna Carlson, also asked for a moment of silence during Tuesday’s regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen at Town Hall. “I would just like to ask for a moment of silence in honor of Elliot, a senior at New Canaan High School who passed away on Saturday night,” she said. “It’s a tragedy for the community.”

NCHS started on a two-hour delay Monday, with buses running at regular times to give friends time to gather in support and speak to counselors and staff, as needed. 

A Zoom session held Tuesday morning with crisis expert Maria Trozzi filled up 500 slots very quickly, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi. The session, titled “Building Resilience in Kids when they Face Difficult Situations & Challenging Times: Coping Skills for Kids and Families,” will be held again at 7 p.m. Wednesday (there are 5,000 slots available) via Zoom link https://ncps-k12-org.zoom.us/j/93161919037 (Meeting ID: 931 6191 9037).

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District: NCHS Senior Died Saturday Night

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A New Canaan High School senior died Saturday night, according to district officials. The deceased was a “strong student, an excellent athlete, a kind young man, and a wonderful friend, and he will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved him,” the superintendent of schools said in an email to the NCHS community. “Such unimaginable loss is difficult to process, and we want to ensure that our students, staff, and families have access to the support they need during this difficult time,” Dr. Bryan Luizzi said in the email. The high school will start on a two-hour delay Monday, he said (details here). Buses will run at regular times, and classes will start at 10 a.m., giving friends of the deceased time “to gather together in support and love, and, if desired, speak with our dedicated counselors and staff,” Luizzi said.

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District To Roll Out ‘Phone-Free’ Policy at Saxe Middle School

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Saxe Middle School soon will see students locking electronic devices—including cell phones, smartwatches and tablets—kept in a locking pouch system throughout the day as part of an updated policy on the electronics’ use, district officials say. The “Phone-Free Schools” initiative at Saxe is expected to launch around mid-September, once the pouches are in hand, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi. “We’re looking at some of the implementation as a design thinking challenge,” he said during a special Board of Education meeting, held Aug. 26 in the Wagner Room at New Canaan High School and via videoconference. “How do you create a system that best enables students to lock and unlock their pouches as they’re coming and going during the day?” Luizzi continued.