Around Town

‘His Gentle Sparkle’: Family, Friends Remember Toby Woods at Well-Attended Funeral

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When he was little, Toby Woods was very cuddly, his mom recalled Sunday. He’d give his parents “enormous tight hugs, wrapping his arms around us, and laying his head on our shoulder,” Kristina Woods told hundreds of people gathered at First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan for her son’s funeral service. “He loved snuggling with his stuffed animals, and climbing into our bed in the middle of the night,” she said. “As he grew older, he still gave the tightest, most wonderful hugs.”

Described by family and friends as intelligent, thoughtful, talented, compassionate, loving and fun, Toby Woods died Feb. 21 in Williamstown, Mass.

Board of Education

‘Kind and Supportive of Others’ Success’: Board of Ed Remembers Toby Woods

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The Board of Education on Monday night remembered 2023 New Canaan High School graduate Toby Woods, who died Feb. 21. Board of Ed Chair Hugo Alves led the elected body in a moment of silence at the start of its regular meeting. “I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the tragic loss of one of our former students, Toby Woods,” Alves said during the meeting, held in the Wagner Room at NCHS. “This loss has deeply impacted us all and our thoughts and prayers are with Toby’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time,” Alves continued.

Addie Cannon

‘Go Out Into the World and Have Fun’: Class of 2023 Graduates from NCHS

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Michael LeDuc, a science teacher and department chair at New Canaan High School, once heard a colleague draw an important distinction that has stayed with him, between mere entertainment and the true fun that results from diligence. On Wednesday morning, he urged members of the NCHS senior class to make time for entertainment in their lives, but to understand that “there is a difference between entertainment and true, meaningful, lasting fun.”

“Don’t mistake entertainment for the good stuff—the meaningful and lasting fun that you earn through hard work,” LeDuc told the class of 2023 during its graduation ceremony, held at Dunning Field under overcast and comfortably warm skies. 

“Look at your high school experience,” he continued. “You worked really hard to be where you are today, on this beautiful day. You took on many challenges, some out of necessity. You navigated high school through some of the most challenging educational obstacles in the last 100 years.

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Q&A: NCHS Students Notch First, Second and Third Place at ‘TEAMS’ Competition

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New Canaan High School recently earned first, second and third place honors in the annual “TEAMS”—that’s “Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science”—competition. The STEM competition challenges student teams to work together to solve real-world engineering challenges, applying their math and science knowledge in practical and creative ways. NCHS students Luke Huang, Daryl Lavin, Kira Titova and Toby Woods won first place for the state of Connecticut and had the second-highest score in the nation. Eva Campbell, Eric Huang, Ankita Kuttichirayil and Jack Sheffield took home second place, and the team of Walker Blair, Jeronimo Marsili, Julia Paine and Adam Sabo took home third. All three teams have qualified for the “2023 National TEAMS” best-in-nation competition to be held this summer.