News

‘It’s Beyond Our Control’: No Ready Solution To Morning Traffic Back-Up from NCHS Parking Lot

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Town officials, after receiving a resident’s complaint about traffic backed up on Old Stamford Road at Farm Road in the mornings, reached this conclusion: There’s no feasible solution to the problem, short of an expensive New Canaan High School parking lot redesign for which no one has an appetite. Police sent a shift out to investigate the complaint and what the officers discovered is that “it’s not a timing of the light issue,” Capt. John DiFederico said during the Police Commission’s Nov. 18 meeting. “What the issue is, is that there is a very short period of time—maybe 15 minutes—when there is so much volume going into the high school that it backs up all the way down Farm Road so there are cars that cannot turn from Old Stamford Road onto Farm,” DiFederico said at the meeting, held in the Training Room at the New Canaan Police Department. “It has nothing really to do with the light and it has nothing to do with us—it’s just a poorly designed high school parking lot which makes ingress of vehicles so difficult for those 15 minutes.”

A big part of the problem, Police Capt. Vincent DeMaio said, is that the lot is designed so that kids park at the far side—to the right of the access road as you come in—so that they then must cross the road in order to get to the building, which holds up traffic.

News

10 Tips Every NCHS Senior Should Know About The College Process

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Dear Rising High School Seniors,

It’s August. The Common Application opened about two weeks ago and it’s most likely the last thing that rising high school seniors want to have to worry about. Having gone through the process last year, I understand what it’s like to have your parents nagging you about getting your applications finished, teachers and guidance counselors reminding you of certain deadlines, and friends gossiping about what school everyone wants to go to. Although the process may not seem so easy the summer before the application craze begins, there are many tips that I have that can make the college process much easier. 1.

News

NCHS Graduation Survival Guide: Tips for Students and Parents

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With NCHS graduation just a few days away (5 p.m. on Thursday June 18 at Dunning Field) there are many parents, family members, and graduates buzzing with questions about graduation. The New Canaanite took some time to think of some tips for this year’s graduates, as well as some for their parents. Parent Tips: Answers to all of the questions parents want to know. Where should I park? Parking on the high school property will be limited.

Schools

NCHS Community Honors Kay Timmis with a Tree Planted in Her Memory

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Teachers, students, family and friends of Kay Timmis gathered Thursday afternoon for a tree planting ceremony in her honor, after the longtime New Canaan High School substitute teacher passed away suddenly in January. The ceremony was held outside the NCHS Library, and those who attended took a moment to remember Timmis as a substitute teacher and how she touched the lives of the NCHS community. Priscilla Schulz, NCHS Physical Education teacher, coach, and longtime friend of Timmis, organized the ceremony along with six other speakers. NCHS seniors Carly Risom, this year’s recipient of the Kay Timmis Award, and Sean Davidson had kind words to say about Timmis, along with NCHS faculty Lynda Pescatello, Michelle Luhtala, and Lenore Schneider. Timmis’ daughter, Kim, closed the ceremony with a speech.

News

High School Pura Vida Club to Host ‘Feed My Starving Children Food Packing’ Event

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The Pura Vida club at New Canaan High School helps students become aware of children in need by participating in a series of events throughout the year to provide for specific groups’ financial needs. Next weekend, June 6 and 7, the Pura Vida club, along with many other community members will be participating in its Annual Feed My Starving Children Food Packing Event held in the New Canaan High School cafeteria. The club, run through the nonprofit Pura Vida for Children, is partnering with Feed My Starving Children, an organization that helps feed the world’s hungry. Within the past year, the club has raised $44,000 and is putting this money toward 200,000 meals that they plan to assemble with the help of about 1,000 volunteers in the community. Pura Vida for Children founder Sharon Knechtle said she is excited and thankful for all of the volunteers to come out next Saturday and Sunday.