Opinion

Podcast: NCHS Grad Ted Grogan and NCPD Officer Jeff Deak

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This week on 0684-Radi0, our free podcast (subscribe here in the iTunes Store), we talk to Ted Grogan—a 1988 New Canaan High School graduate who works as executive director of The Serenity Project, a nonprofit organization that uses equine therapy to help people who have suffered from all forms of trauma—and New Canaan Police Officer Jeff Deak, the school resource officer at NCHS. The Serenity Project’s annual fundraiser, “Gallop for Good: A Night at the Farm,” will be held Saturday, June 14. Details and tickets here. Here’s a link to the New Canaan Department of Human Services’ “Behavioral Health Resources” page. Here are recent episodes of 0684-Radi0:

Bill Egan

The Grazing Ram: SAT Tutoring at NCHS Funded by NCCF Grant a Success

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In the fall of 2024, New Canaan High School created an SAT tutoring program available to all students. The program, in partnership with Carnegie Prep, a local leader in standardized test prep, offered eight rigorous courses with the goal of improving students’ scores for the School Day SAT in March. Need-based scholarships for the program were funded with a generous grant from the New Canaan Community Foundation (NCCF).  The program was named Equal Access for SATs (EOS). The primary goal of EOS was to level the playing field for all students and improve college outcomes for program participants

The indispensable team who dedicated their time to the creation of this program included me, along with Principal William Egan, Assistant Principal Kristi Carriero, NCCF Program Officer Meg Soffen and the rest of the organization, Director of the College and Career Susan Carroll, Jerry Carnegie III, and his amazing instructors and staff at Carnegie Prep. 

The EOS program sponsored 12 students with significant financial constraints to be able to pay for this program, all of whom were covered with a generous grant from the NCCF. 

What types of score improvements did these students see? Overall, while overall New Canaan score improvements have not been published, the NCHS students who took part in Carnegie Prep courses saw significant improvements. 

In terms of the EOS program, the students did significantly better from their PSAT to SAT scores with improvements ranging from 30 to 200 points.

Opinion

Op-Ed: ‘Hidden Costs’ of Gas Leaf Blowers

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One of the hidden costs of gas leaf blowers goes beyond the noise and pollution—they’re also a tool of excessive and expensive labor, sometimes used for tasks that could be done in far more efficient, quieter, and greener ways. Unnecessary Labor & Overuse of Leaf Blowers

When you see landscapers using gas-powered leaf blowers to move just a few leaves off a driveway or the side of the road, it’s clear how inefficient this practice is. Sometimes it feels like they’re padding the bill with tasks that are a bit overkill. For example, instead of simply sweeping or raking a small area, landscapers will often resort to the loud and polluting blower, consuming fuel and time. It’s also a situation where you’re not just paying for the equipment, but for the hours spent running it, which adds unnecessary costs for homeowners.

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Who Knew: Welcome to the Carb Boom

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‘Who Knew?’ is sponsored by Walter Stewart’s Market. * * *

Many years ago, when I self-identified as an idiot in my twenties, I put myself on a no-carb diet that was popular at the time and still makes the occasional rounds today. For two weeks, I embraced bunless hamburgers, crouton-less salads, beer-less baseball games, and a joyless existence. I probably lost four pounds before something innocuous–let’s be honest, it was the flour tortilla around a burrito–felled my willpower. Soon enough, I was mainlining Cheezits and Parker House rolls as I always had, and left others to their spiralized zucchini noodles and Ziploc bags full of snacking bacon.

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Letter to the Editor

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NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letter. Send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com to have them published here. ***
It’s a familiar summer experience in New Canaan. You’re sitting out on your patio, maybe talking with friends or just having a cup of tea or glass of wine by yourself. It’s a beautiful day, and you’re enjoying the green view, bird songs, and fresh air.