North Haven Courier

North Haven High School Class of 2009

Shore Publishing — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:31:55 GMT

Three hundred six seniors crossed the stage on June 23 to receive their diplomas as members of North Haven High School’s Class of 2009. The weather cooperated to allow the ceremony to be held outdoors and students capped off the occasion by keeping their caps on, foregoing the traditional toss in favor of throwing flowers. Student speeches were delivered by valedictorian Fiona Wood, salutatorian Stephanie Grilo, and class president Davon Darden.

Anthony Abate
James Albert
Luis Alfonzo
Alexander Allouche
Marissa Amarone
Melanie Amodio
Andrew Anastasio
David Anderson
Angelo Annunziata
Zachary Back
Erica Bacon
Lilia Baker
Oladapo Balogun
Anna Bank
Elizabeth Baptie
Matthew Baransky
Michael Baraquin
Frank Barbiero
Angelica Barcsansky
Anthony Barone
Vincent Battista
Jessica Beauton
Kate Bennett
Kelly Bennett
Amy Berarducci
Ashley Biase
Alyssa Biller
Christopher Bonilla
Jaimie Bosco
Jonathan Brenner
John Broccoli
Kelly Brockett
Kayleigh Brooks
Geoffrey Brown
Steven Brown
Melanie Brozek
Kaitlyn Bruneau
Anna Bujalski
Keri Burns
Alex Calechman
Joseph Capriglione
Russell Caprio
Corrine Carman
Tenevia Carter
Gregory Castelli
Nicole Cavallaro
Jillian Ceballos
Nicolle Ceneri
Charles Christoforo
Stefania Ciarleglio
Russell Claver-Obinna
Sequan Clemons
Trisha Clini
Lindsay Cocco
Charlotte Cohane
Samantha Cole
Andrew Consiglio
Alessa Contento
Maria Cook
Philip Cooper
Christopher Cote
Kelly Coughlin
Brenden Creacy
Alyssa Cretella
Megan Criscio
Samantha Criscuolo
Zachary Criscuolo
Jeremy Croll
Yvonne Crowley
Jennifer Cruver
Robert Cummiskey
Christopher Cusano
Brian Dagliere
Angela Daigle
Christine D’Amato
Gabrielle D’Amico
Alessandra Daniele
Davon Darden
Nicole Davis
James Dean
Ashley DeCola
Andrew DeCusati
Frank DeCusati
Kristina DeFilippo
Cristal DeLeon
Amaya Delerme
Christopher DeLuca
Matthew DeMarco
Alyson DeMauro
Christina DePino
Alexandra D’Errico
Bruce Devlin
Stephen DiCapua
Erin Dinneen
John Dockendorff
Lauren Dufour
Timothy Dzialo
Conner Early
Emily Epler
Aleah Evenstad
Stephanie Ferraiolo
Maria Finoia
John Fiore
Matthew Fitzpatrick
Jennifer Flagg
Samuel Frei
Michael Friello
Kevin Fuggi
Angela Fusco
Nicholas Gambardella
Peter Gantos
Olivia Rose Gargano
Bree Garrison
Nadyna Gaudio
Justin Gaudioso
Matthew Geoffino
Emily Giskin
Christianne Glenn-Long
Matthew Goodkin
Rebecca Gordon
Edward Gosney
Raquel Gray
Rachael Green
Stephanie Grilo
Colleen Guckian
Kelly Halkyard
Amanda Hall
Brandon Harder
Erin Hegarty
Kimberly Hentz
Spencer Heyl
Barbara Hoffman
Suki Hood
George Hotton
Sheila Huggins
Steven Iezzi
Michael Improta
Adam Iskra
Serena Jackson
Eric Jacques
Amanda James
Mathew Jennings
Ieisha Johnson
Rebecca Jordan
Erica Kaliszewski
Pelin Kangal
Zoltan Kanyo
Eric Karacsonyi
Alanna Katz
Zachary Kenney
Abdul Khan
Wonjae Kil
Michael Kilmartin
Christina Kim
Olivia Kiraly
Nicole Konopka
Andrew Kruse
Jaclyn Kusmit
Joshua La France
Elizabeth Lafond
Aaron Lefland
Beth Lennon
John Lesko
Reggie Li
Lisa Liquori
Shelby Logan
Silvana Lopez
Christa Lorusso
Chelsea Madonna
Joseph Maher
Erin Maratea
Michelle Marenna
Emma Marshall
Lauren Martorelli
Nicole Mason
Victor Massaro
Joseph Massella
Mathew Maturo
Dennis Mautner
Bianca McClain
Corrine McDonald
Kailee McEvoy
LaToya McFarland
James McGrath
Valerie Melotto
Briceyda Meneses
Lisa Merwin
Taylor Middagh
Gerald Mikolinski
Colin Miller
Brett Minichiello
Michael Minotti
Kelly Morrone
Sean Mumford
Marc Murano
Ryan Murcko
Patryce Murphy
Nicole Naples
Jennifer Nastri
Brittany Nazario
David Neleber
Christopher Neleber
Kimberly Noel
Thomas Nolan
Hope Notaro
Gabriella Nye
Kathrin Nye
Daniel Oakes
Kelsey O’Brien
Kenechukwu Okwuosa
Alberto Ortiz
Kaileigh Osborne
Luis Pagan
Arianna Palmer
Arthur Palmer
Audrey Palmieri
Thomas Palmucci
Michael Pappas
Jalak Patel
Charles Pieper
Nicholas Pisani
Luc Pollard
Francisco Ponce
Joshua Potvin
Daniel Priebe
Michael Proto
William Provenzano
Kyle Pullano
Matthew Puzycki
Thomas Quigley
Thomas Quinn
Jaclyn Ragozzino
Nicole Ranciato
Brytani Randlett
Courtney Reynolds
Janitza Rivera
Mercilla Roach
Christina Roberts
Steven Roberts
Jenna Rodelsturtz
Elvin Rodriguez
Henry Rodriguez
Samuel Rodriguez
Hilary Rose
Christine Rossi
Pauline Roxas
Brittany Roy
Samantha Rudewicz
Steven Rudewicz
Jelani Sancho
Daniel Sardilli
Jennifer Saslow
Mary Savenelli
Neeloufar Sayadi
Antonio Scarano
Justine Scarborough
David Schettino
Danielle Schioppo
Matthew Schloemann
James Schwartz
Alexander Seneco
Arielle Sharma
Chelsea Shaw
Jeison Sicha
Adam Sigovitch
Justin Simon
Drake Smith
Jynnelle Smith
Sarah Smith
Michael Sola
Juhyeon Song
MinYoung Song
Joseph Sorrentino
Cassandra Spadory
Krista Spalding
Julie Sullivan
Michael Swanson
Rebecca Tabak
Kelly Tangney
Shirley Tapper
Andrew Timothy
Caitlin Tischler
Lamar Toles
Kristen Tomlan
Joshua Tong
Samantha Torres
Alisia Toscano
Lyly Tran
Anthony Trischitti
Brittany Umsteadt
Alissandra Usher
Jeffrey Vidal
Aaron Volain
Tyler Wack
Ryan Wagner
Kristyn Ward
Benjamin Weidner
Caroline Weinbach
Evan Welch
Douglas White
Michelle Wingreen
Kevin Withington
Bryan Wolfe
Fiona Wood
William Woodruff
Hector Zamora

Future Plans for the Class of 2009’s Top 10

Shore Publishing — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:30:55 GMT

1. Fiona Wood, Harvard University
2. Stephanie Grilo, Columbia University
3. MinYoung Song, Tufts University
4. Anna Bujalski, Boston College
5. Drake Smith, University of Southern California
6. Melanie Amodio, University of Connecticut
7. Christianne Glenn-Long, University of Connecticut
8. Arielle Sharma, Boston University
9. Geoffrey Brown, Northeastern University
10. Jalak Patel, University of Connecticut

People Helping People

Shore Publishing — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:26:00 GMT

By Jason J. Marchi, Courier Correspondent:

When Lucy DeCicco was growing up the youngest of four children in a loving homestead on Green Street in New Haven, she gained an admirer—a boy by the name of Angelo whom Lucy ignored year after year. The boy had had his eye on “little Lucy” since grammar school, but it wasn’t until years later that Lucy acknowledge his interest.

“I was going to hair dressing school and he was in the service at the time. We met on the street one day and he said hello and I finally answered him,” Lucy recalls.

From there true love formed—and a loving marriage ensued that would last for nearly 46 years.

During their wondrous years together, Lucy and Angelo raised three children, Angelo Jr., Janet, and Bernadette, but they also suffered the tragic loss of a baby.

Angelo worked in retail before he took charge of the cafeteria at Blue Cross/Blue Shield in New Haven and Lucy groomed a hairdressing career for herself before a bad knee required surgery and forced her retirement from the business.

A change of career was also urged by her doctor who thought Lucy should not be exposed to the harsh chemicals used in the hairdressing profession at the time.

“I had three little children and a husband, so didn’t want to take any chances,” Lucy recalls.

After several years working in the auditing department at Sears in Hamden, Lucy moved to Blue Cross/Blue Shield for 10 years before retiring once again. At Blue Cross, Lucy worked with the clients who were 65 and older.

“I enjoyed that very much,” she says, recalling the enjoyment of speaking to those customers who were Italian immigrants and had not yet learned English.

Life was status quo for several decades before personal tragedy would strike again.
“I lost my husband six years ago and a year later I lost my daughter Bernadette, at 41,” Lucy says.

“She wanted children so badly,” Lucy says, and notes that Bernadette’s untimely death was caused by a reaction to a fertility medication. “People have asked me why I and her husband didn’t do anything about it. But what are you going to do about it? Is it going to bring Bernadette back?”

While Lucy has suffered her share of losses, she is the kind of person who always sees the proverbial glass of water half-full.

“Our family is very close. We’re normal and we argued, but after we argued that was it. We never went to bed at night without saying, ‘I love you.’ And when I get up in the morning I say, ‘Dear God, thank you for another day; just give me the strength to go on,’ because I have a beautiful family and four grandchildren, three boys and a girl.”

One of those “boys” just graduated from law school, “and the other graduated a week later from UNH and he’s going into criminal justice,” Lucy says. “The third boy is with a police department in Florida and my granddaughter is going to Gateway but she’s not sure yet what she wants to go into—either culinary or hairdressing.”

For Lucy, that joy of family readily translates into her desire to help her fellow seniors each day.

“I started out working in the kitchen [of the senior center] for a while, but then I was put on the staff and I help out where ever I can,” Lucy says.

“I love working with people and I love making everyone happy,” she adds. “Life is short. If you have a beef, get over it. That’s the past. This is the new.”

To nominate a Person of the Week contact Jason Marchi at j.marchi@shorepublishing.com or 203-245-1877 x6166.

Pictured: As a staff member at the Joyce C. Budrow Senior Center, Lucy DeCicco has a goal—to bring happiness into the lives of others despite a number of tragedies in her own life.

Photo by Jason J. Marchi

Police Incident Report June 17 to 23

Shore Publishing — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:24:00 GMT

The North Haven Courier publishes a Police Incident Report to inform residents of incidents, criminal activities, and police responses occurring in town. As those charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty, the report does not include names. It may be edited for space and content.

Wednesday, June 17 to Thursday, June 18
No arrests were made.

Friday, June 19
• A 24-year-old Seymour woman was charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and failure to obey a control signal.

Saturday, June 20
• A 39-year-old New Haven man was arrested on a warrant charging him with credit card theft, illegal use of credit card, and theft of a firearm.
• A 45-year-old man of Pool Road was charged with disorderly conduct.
• A 45-year-old Hamden woman was issued a misdemeanor for improper use of marker plate.

Sunday, June 21
• A 48-year-old man of Quinnipiac Avenue was charged with disorderly conduct and assault in the third degree.
• A 38-year-old West Haven man was charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, possession of less than four ounces of marijuana, failure to drive in the proper lane of a multiple lane highway, and failure to signal a turn.
• A 34-year-old East Hartford man was charged with disorderly conduct.

Monday, June 22
• A 29-year-old Fairfield man was charged with larceny in the fourth degree. While in custody he was arrested on a warrant charging him with failure to appear in the second degree.

Tuesday, June 23
• A 25-year-old man of Quinnipiac Avenue was charged with assault in the third degree, interfering with an officer, and breach of peace.
• A 55-year-old Rocky Hill man was issued a misdemeanor for failure to have insurance, misuse of plate, and having an obstructed view through the windshield.

From June 17 to 23, North Haven police also cited five motorists for traveling unreasonably fast, three for operating an unregistered motor vehicle, two for failure to drive a reasonable distance apart, two for speeding, two for operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license, and one for failure to wear a seat belt in the front seat.

Police correspondent Jason J. Marchi compiles the Police Incident Report.

Tag It, Bag It

Shore Publishing — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:09:57 GMT

Holly Ricci consults with volunteer clerk Bill Carey before making her final purchase at the tag sale to benefit Animal Haven last Saturday morning.

Photo by Adam Coppola

Sing, Sing a Song

Shore Publishing — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:07:58 GMT

By Jason J. Marchi, Courier Correspondent:

While growing up in the Hill section of New Haven, Philomena Gambardella became involved with singing, but little could she have guessed that years later her love of music would bring her to Europe to sing with world-famous composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein.
A singer since childhood when she and her sister, Camille, put on shows for the neighborhood kids, Philomena continued singing, first in the church chorus at Sacred Heart School, and then with a women’s chorus in high school.

“I’ve been singing with groups ever since and doing solo work, too,” she says.
That small start opened a world of opportunity for Philomena, when, years later, she tried out for and was the only local person invited to join Leonard Bernstein and sing in his memorial Mass honoring President John F. Kennedy in Vienna, Austria—in the early 1970s—after the premiere of the Mass at Yale’s Wolsey Hall.

After 16 musical performances in Vienna, returning home was a bit of a let-down once Philomena realized her stint with the “big time” was over. She continued to sing, however, and earned a little money on the side as a solo artist.

Philomena says she never had the opportunity to conduct a chorus herself until just a couple of years ago after the former North Haven Senior Chorus conductor died and she was asked to step in.

“I like conducting,” she says, adding with a laugh, “All my experience through the years of conducting my five kids helps me.”

After months of preparation the senior chorus “is now ready to go on tour,” Philomena states. “They get a little antsy because we practice and practice and they want to get out and sing.”

Their first stop will be a convalescent home for AIDS patients.

Philomena’s love of music is so strong her five children followed in her footsteps. Of her two sons—Bill and John—and three daughters—Eleanor, Frances, and Sandra—all are musical and all are singers.

“My son Bill plays the trombone with orchestras and now his two children are doing the same thing. Eleanor sings and writes music,” Philomena proudly says. “She has a beautiful voice.”
Besides her interest in music, Philomena took great interest in North Haven when she witnessed the farmland she lives next to change hands—land that nature reclaimed for a time after the farmers left, before developers set their sights on it.

“My children used to play on that land and when I found out that condos were going to be built on the property I got involved with what they were going to do with it,” she says. “I went to the land records office in North Haven and went back to the very first settlers.”
With additional material obtained from archives in New Haven, Philomena reconstructed a meticulous history of that the land that is today known as the Peter’s Rock preserve.
That history—contained in four notebooks—is available for review at the North Haven Memorial Library.

“It’s a fascinating study of the land,” she notes of the project that took her five years to compile.

Philomena’s husband, Attilio, passed five years ago from cancer, but her children and eight grandchildren all reside in North Haven and the family remains close. So close, in fact, Philomena’s sister still owns and operates the Columbia Mattress Company in New Haven that their father founded.

At 82, Philomena has an abundance of energy.

“I like to keep going,” she says, which includes frequent walking. “My husband was a phys. ed. man, so I got a lot of hints from him through the years. He was a good man.”

To nominate a Person of the Week contact Jason Marchi at j.marchi@shorepublishing.com or 203-245-1877 x6166.

Pictured: After years of singing—first for the neighborhood children, then in school and church choirs and at weddings, Philomena Gambardella worked her way up to singing in Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, written in honor of the late President John F. Kennedy. Today, Philomena conducts the North Haven Senior Chorus.
Photo by Jason J. Marchi.

Time to Walk the Walk

Shore Publishing — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:05:14 GMT

By Robert Kilpatrick, Special to the Courier:

It’s not too late to lace up your walking shoes and join the more than 60 teams set to take part in the 2009 Hamden/North Haven Relay For Life June 27 at Quinnipiac University, 275 Mount Carmel Avenue, Hamden.

“We are hoping to raise $200,000,” said Melissa A. Brochu, a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. “All are welcome on Saturday. We have our opening lap at 10 a.m. and festivities all throughout the day. Come on down! We are a very family friendly relay with a kids area from 1 to 3 p.m.”

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is an overnight celebration of life and cancer survivorship. Brochu said.

“Every dollar we raise goes toward fighting cancer. Contributions help the American Cancer Society fight cancer in four main ways: research, education, advocacy and patient services,” she said.

She described Relay as teams of people—local businesses, friends, families, hospitals, religious organizations, and clubs—that gather at community sites and take turns walking laps.

“One of the really wonderful pieces of the Relay is the Survivors’ lap, which kicks off the event,” Brochu said. “Each cancer survivor is introduced and all survivors complete the first lap around the track before being joined by the other participants. It’s a really nice way for us to keep in mind why we participate in Relay For Life.”

After nightfall, one of the main highlights of Relay For Life is the luminaria ceremony. Hundreds of luminaria candles dedicated to loved ones line the track and are left burning throughout the night to remind participants of the importance of their contributions.
The American Cancer Society funds more than $130 million of cancer research a year.

“More than two-thirds of all cancer deaths are preventable” Brochu said, “and we teach people every day how to live healthy lifestyles and get regular checkups.”

Police Incident Report June 10 to 17

Shore Publishing — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:04:25 GMT

The North Haven Courier publishes a Police Incident Report to inform residents of incidents, criminal activities, and police responses occurring in town. As those charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty, the report does not include names. It may be edited for space and content.

Wednesday, June 10
• An 18-year-old New Haven woman was charged with larceny in the sixth degree.
• A 30-year-old Wallingford man was charged with disorderly conduct and violation of a protective order.
• A 19-year-old woman of Linsley Street was charged with breach of peace.
• A 40-year-old woman of State Street was charged with criminal trespass in the first degree.

Thursday, June 11
• A 29-year-old man of Washington Avenue was charged with criminal mischief in the third degree, breach of peace, and disorderly conduct.
• A 30-year-old Hamden man was issued a misdemeanor for operating a motor vehicle while under license suspension, failure to carry insurance ID card, and operating an unregistered motor vehicle.

Friday, June 12
• A 53-year-old Hamden man was charged with criminal trespass and breach of peace.

Saturday, June 13
No arrests were made.
• A 37-year-old woman of Woodland Avenue was cited for creating an animal nuisance.

Sunday, June 14
No arrests were made.
• A 24-year-old Hartford man was issued a misdemeanor for misuse of plate, failure to have insurance, operating a motor vehicle while under license suspension, and operating an unregistered motor vehicle.

Monday, June 15
No arrests were made.
• A 25-year-old Meriden man was issued a misdemeanor for operating a motor vehicle while under license suspension and improper muffler.

Tuesday, June 16
• A 36-year-old Wallingford man was charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• A 34-year-old man of Easton Street was charged with violation of probation.

From June 10 to 16, North Haven police also issued five citations to motorist for failure to obey a control signal; three each for speeding, traveling unreasonably fast, passing on the right, and failure to drive a reasonable distance apart; and one each for failure to renew license, unsafe movement from a stopped or standing position, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, failure to obey State Traffic Commission road signs or markings, failure to renew license, operating a motor vehicle without a license, and failure to maintain the proper lane of a multiple-lane highway.

Police correspondent Jason J. Marchi compiles the Police Incident Report.

Tran’s Dedication Helped Indians Overcome Key Graduations

Shore Publishing — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:52:58 GMT

By Chris Piccirillo, Courier Senior Sports Writer:

The North Haven girls’ outdoor track team entered this spring having graduated numerous athletes who helped the squad go undefeated last year and thus needed its returning seniors to not only perform well, but also lead a roster full of underclassmen. One person who unquestionably met both of these criteria is captain Lyly Tran.

Lyly, who had progressed through the ranks as a sprinter but then did less in those events and more in the hurdles last year, was returned to the to the 100 and 200 by Coach Carl Jackson in order to fill a void in that area. Lyly returned without a single complaint and wound up having a solid season by qualifying for the Class L State Championship in both sprinting events as well as the long and triple jumps.

“We needed more depth in the sprints this year so when coach put me in those events, I accepted it because I wanted to help the team,” Lyly says.

On top of that, Jackson says that Lyly was “a very good leader whose work ethic was second to none.” These contributions from Lyly were key reasons why the rebuilding Indians had a fine campaign at 7-5.

“Lyly did an outstanding job for us this season as she amassed a lot of points in both the sprints and jumps and she never once questioned me putting her back in the sprints,” Jackson says. “She just said ‘I’ll go wherever you need me coach’ and the fact that I could rely on Lyly in the sprints gave me one less thing to worry about this season. Lyly is an athlete who realized that improvement was only going to come from continual practicing and giving it her all and that’s what she did through the past four years.”

Lyly’s work ethic has helped her earn a variety of distinctions in her time at North Haven, starting with being the Most Improved Player as a defender last fall for the soccer squad, a team she helped win a division title in 2006. Lyly was then named Most Valuable Player for the indoor track squad this past winter, a career that culminated with her running as part of the school-record 4x200 relay.

The senior then capped her career with the Indians by being named the outdoor team’s co-Most Valuable Player as in addition to making four events at states, she also placed in the top five of three at the Southern Connecticut Conference Oronoque Division Championship.

Of course, Lyly was pleased with these honors, although nothing made her happier than the effort put forth and the results generated by she and her teammates this spring.

“I’m so proud of how many girls stepped up this season, especially our underclassmen,” says Lyly, who had previously helped the outdoor track team win Oronoque titles in 2006 and 2008. “We weren’t expected to do as well as we did this year, but we all worked hard and showed that a lot of times hard work is even more important than skill or talent.

“As cliché as it sounds, the most important thing I’ve learned at North Haven is that hard work pays off,” she adds. “As I got older, I became more motivated to succeed, but had to push myself over my limit in order to do see what I could do. In the end, I found out that I had more potential than I thought I did.”

Also in the end, Lyly, who will study biology at UConn with a long-term goal of going into pediatrics, formed bonds through athletics that will last a lifetime, as will the success that she and her teammates achieved.

“I really appreciate all the people who I’ve gotten to play with on my teams,” Lyly says. “And it gives me a great sense of pride to know that we contributed to our school’s legacy in sports.”

Pictured: Senior captain Lyly Tran recently completed her career with the North Haven girls’ outdoor track team by being named the Indians’ co-Most Valuable Player, an award she also received for the indoor track squad.

Photo by Adam Coppola

Senior Babe Ruth Starts Season with Five Wins

Shore Publishing — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:28:56 GMT

The North Haven Senior Babe Ruth team won its first five games of the summer, beating Haddam/Killingworth I 6-3, Hamden Fathers 12-0, Essex/Valley 13-1, Haddam/Killingworth II 10-5, and Branford 11-1.

Brandon Harder struck out six to earn the win against Haddam/Killingworth I, a game in which Sam DiCapua hit a three-run home run. Against Hamden Fathers, Kevin Fuggi fanned eight in five innings to earn the victory. Then in the triumph versus Essex/Valley, Steve Cusano picked up the win with seven strikeouts in five innings.

In the win against Haddam/Killingworth II, DiCapua allowed just two hits through five innings for the win. Harder then threw five innings to beat Branford as North Haven was aided by a single, double, and home run from Luis Pagan, who had six RBI. Eric Hewitt added three hits and an RBI for North Haven.

-Chris Piccirillo

Legion Team at 5-6

Shore Publishing — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:27:58 GMT

The North Haven American Legion Post 76 baseball team had an interesting week as Charlie Flanagan’s team dropped 2-0 and 7-0 decisions to Milford, then beat Hamden twice by scores of 7-5 and 12-8, followed by three defeats against Branford, 5-4, 8-0, and 5-0.

Russ Caprio is off to a solid start for Post 76 with multiple hits in every game and Steve DiCapua and Jimmy Albert have also provided solid offensive production for the squad. Steve Vermiglio and Dave Jablonski have led the effort on the mound for North Haven, which is 5-6.

- Chris Piccirillo

Jackson Proud of Young Girls’ Track Team’s Season

Shore Publishing — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:23:12 GMT

By Chris Piccirillo, Courier Senior Sports Writer:

After graduating several key athletes from a team that went 12-0 last spring, Carl Jackson knew this year would be somewhat of a rebuilding season. But what Jackson didn’t know was that his team would exceed expectations by going 7-5, including a mark of 4-1 in the Southern Connecticut Conference’s Oronoque Division to place second.

“This was a rebuilding season, but this was also a group of overachievers who helped fill some of the voids and kept our heads above water,” Jackson said.

Two athletes who unquestionably aided that second-place finish were senior captain Lyly Tran and sophomore Katherine Lewis, who were named the team’s Most Valuable Players on the track and field, respectively. Tran’s season was highlighted by placing in the top 10 in all three of her events at the Oronoque Championship as she finished fifth in the 200 and long jump to go with a fourth-place showing in the triple jump. Lewis took third in the shot put at the Oronoque meet and then sixth at SCCs.

“Lyly made strong contributions to the team the entire season,” Jackson said. “Katherine developed to fill the void in the throwing area.”

The Indians’ Most Improved Player on the track was sophomore Sydney Burke and for the field it was junior captain Lindsay Meyer.

Burke took fourth in the 300 intermediate hurdles and fifth in high jump at the Oronoque Championship while Meyer placed second in the 100 high hurdles, fifth in the 300 intermediate hurdles, and third in the pole vault at the same meet. Meyer then took fourth in the pole vault at SCCs, tying a school record with a height of nine feet.

North Haven’s Sportsmanship Award went to senior captain Kim Hentz, who Jackson referred to as “the glue that held the team together.” Hentz also placed sixth in the 800 and fifth in the triple jump at the Oronoque meet.

Another athlete who had a big postseason impact was junior Martina Benassi, who finished third in the pole vault at the SCC meet, tying the school record with Meyer at 9-0, followed by a seventh-place showing with the same height at states.

Boys’ Track Went Undefeated for Second Time in Four Years

Shore Publishing — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:53:25 GMT

By Chris Piccirillo, Courier Senior Sports Writer:

Back in 2006, the North Haven boys’ outdoor track team had a season for the ages as Steve Celmer’s squad went 18-0. Well this spring, behind the strength of a well-balanced group that fared well in all events, plus a few superstar seniors, North Haven achieved the feat of an undefeated regular season once again as Celmer’s Indians went 16-0.

“We’re a program that emphasizes the team concept as we have many kids who do well in multiple events and are willing to do whatever it takes to win dual meets,” Celmer said.

One person who had a huge impact on both undefeated squads was senior captain Geoff Brown, whose postseason was highlighted by winning the 110 hurdles at the Oronoque Championship (14.80), the SCC meet (15.47), and the Class L Championship (15.02) as well as triumphing in the 300 intermediate hurdles at SCCs (40.81). Additionally, Brown won the javelin at the Oronoque meet (153-5) and then placed third at the CIAC Decathlon.

For his efforts, Brown received North Haven’s Most Valuable Player Award, a distinction won last season by his brother and fellow senior captain, Steve Brown, who had a fine spring in his own right, placing second in the 110 hurdles, second in the high jump, and third in the triple jump at the Oronoque Championship, followed by a fifth-place finish in the 110 hurdles at SCCs and a seventh-place showing in Class L.

“Geoff and Steve have been the cornerstones that the team has built itself on the last four years,” Celmer said. “They’re now third and fourth, respectively, on our all-time points list.”

The Brown brothers captained the Indians with thrower Ken Okwuosa and long-distance runner Brian Dagliere, the latter who won the team’s Sportsmanship Award as Celmer called him “the guy who is always there for his teammates.” Meanwhile, Okwuosa placed second in the shot put at the Oronoque meet, fifth at SCCs, second in Class L, and fifth at the State Open.

Another person who had postseason success was junior Kendrick Amaker, who won the 100 (10.90) and long jump (19-9) at the Oronoque meet, after which he prevailed in the 100 at SCCs (11.48). Amaker also finished fourth in the 200 and long jump at the SCC meet before taking sixth in the 100 and eighth in the long jump at states.

Other people who received awards were sophomore Vin Jakiela, who was the team’s Most Improved Player as he qualified for both hurdles events at the SCC meet; and junior Justin Hoffman, who endured sore shins to placed third in the 110 hurdles at the Oronoque meet and thus received The Perry Pausig Courage Award, which is named in honor of the Indians’ former volunteer assistant who passed away last year and goes to an athlete who overcomes physical adversity.

Pictured: Brian Dagliere, who’s receiving the handoff from Matt Kortsep, recently completed his senior season as a captain for the North Haven boys’ outdoor track team, which went 16-0.
Photo by John Vanacore

Green Sounds

Shore Publishing — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:32:53 GMT

The weather cleared up just in time for North Haven High School’s musicians to perform for the crowd on the Town Green last Thursday night.

Photo by John Vanacore

What the Future Holds

Shore Publishing — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:27:06 GMT

By Jason J. Marchi, Courier Correspondent:

    When Stanley Girard graduated from Hamden High School in 1978, he didn’t know what he wanted to do for living, but he did know he wasn’t interested in college like so many of his classmates.
Stan joined the U.S. Air Force to “figure things out. I wasn’t ready for college, plus I wanted to see the world,” he says.
    Stan chuckles when he notes, “I didn’t see much of the world because I was stationed at the March Air Force Base in Southern California the entire time.”
    His duty was to guard the airplanes on the base, which he did until his honorable discharge in July 1982.
    By that time, Stan had a pretty clear idea of both his interests and his career path and, while he returned to military service as a National Guard in Connecticut, in January 1984 he was also sworn into the North Haven Police Department as a patrolman.
    Once situated in North Haven, rather than work his way up the rank ladder into a management position at the department, Stan felt more comfortable remaining on the road, close to the action, and he preferred having direct access to the people of the community.
    “I’d rather talk to people face-to-face,” he says, which patrol duty allowed him to do.
Stan also became a certified emergency medical technician (EMT), which, according to Chief of Police James X. DiCarlo, “went above and beyond the call as a police officer.”
    Stan’s EMT certification was greatly appreciated since many times a patrol officer is the first professional on the scene for calls that might require medical assistance, and a peek into Stan’s personnel file reveals several letters of recognition for his outstanding work as an officer over the years.
    Patricia Amato, Chief DiCarlo’s secretary, is quick to say “Stanley is quiet, does his job, and minds his own business.” She also notes, “Someone I knew who had a continuing problem [that Stan handled] told me Stan was very compassionate and she thought very highly of him.”
    When asked if he remembers any outstanding incidents, he says, “Knock on wood I don’t. I can probably count on one hand the times I had to physically restrain somebody in my 25 1/2 years.”
The best memories Stan does have, however, pertain to some of his work within the department.
    “I served as a Field Training Officer (FTO),” which happily kept him in the front seat of a cruiser where he’d train the new recruits until each officer was ready to go out on the road alone.
    “I got to meet a lot of the officers one-on-one in that capacity for eight hours a day,” Stan explains. “After the FTO program was over, I might not see those officers again because they might be on a night shift and I worked strictly days.”
    Stan has been quite active over the last decade in the Police Benevolent Association and, even though he will no longer be a police officer after July 3, Stan will still head up the food concessions table at the second annual Labor Day Weekend Car Show on the green—Stan’s wife, Barbara, will also help with concessions.
    As for the future, Stan admits, “I have nothing planned. I’m in the process of looking for work. I had a great time here and I met a lot of good people, but I want to do something totally different than what I’m doing now.”

To nominate a Person of the Week contact Jason Marchi at j.marchi@shorepublishing.com or 203-245-1877 x6166.

Pictured: After 25 years of exemplary service as a patrol officer with the North Haven Police Department, Stanley Girard retires on July 3.
Stanley Girard has dedicated a quarter-century to serving and protecting the people of North Haven. “I can’t believe how fast it went by. But life is only so long and I want to do something else now,” says the devoted husband and father of two boys, ages 19 and 16. Photo by Jason J. Marchi