Board of Education - May 21 , 2026

001You're not on. Good evening. And welcome. I'd like to call to order uh, the meeting of the Board of Education tonight, May 21st. It is 7:01 and our first agenda item is Pledge of Allegiance and I have a young student who's coming up to the microphone to join us in lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Please stand. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic of which it stands, one nation under God, and indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Great job. Thank you. Our second agenda item this evening is some special recognitions and we're going to start with some staff retirements. And I believe I'm having Dr. Zito and possibly some of our building principals, correct? All right. >> [snorts] >> So, we appreciate everybody

002coming out tonight. It's a the May meeting is something we always enjoy. Big crowd. We're going to be recognizing our students tonight. But before we start with our students, we're going to, um, start with some staff members who are leaving the district this year. And, um, I'm going to ask that the principals come up and speak about these individuals. The first name on the list is a long-time social worker for West Hill School, Merle Cohen, and her principal, um, Cara Quinn is here. >> [applause] >> Thank you. Good evening, everyone. Unfortunately, Merle was not able to be with us tonight, um, but she asked me to share her thanks to the board for this special recognition. Merle Cohen has left an indelible mark on the West Hill School community. For the past 20 years, she

003has served as our school social worker with compassion, dedication, and an unwavering belief in the goodness and potential of others. Merle's impact can be felt in every corner of our school. From Monday mindful moments, planning kindness week, expertly implementing second step throughout the building, welcoming new students with warmth and inclusion, coordinating countless 504 plans, overseeing student check-in systems, bulletin boards, SEL lessons, restorative circles, and so much more. Merle has orchestrated numerous donation drives, hosted interns with generosity and wisdom, counseled families through difficult times, and even launched a mentoring program this year to strengthen connections across our school community. What makes Merle truly extraordinary is not only what she does, but who she is. She always assumes the best in others and encourages encourages us us all to do the same. She represents the very best

004of West Hill. She's the first to offer help and is the last to seek recognition or praise. Her kindness, humility, optimism, and steady presence have been a gift to students, staff, and families alike. Mrs. Cohen is all heart, a trusted colleague, and a true friend. We wish Merle a wonderful retirement filled with joy and adventure, hiking scenic trails, cycling new paths, drawing, creating, traveling, and spending precious time with her parents, and embracing all the moments that bring her happiness. Thank you, Merle, for the incredible impact you've made on all of us at West Hill. Your legacy of compassion, care, and connection will continue to live on in our school community for years to come. >> [applause] >> Next up, uh, Mr. Cassello, our interim principal. He is not retiring. He's going to speak about, uh,

005a long-time, uh, well-respected educator, Kirsten Hassett. Kirsten here? Yes, come on up. Come on up, Kirsten. Come on up. >> [applause] >> Come on Come on up. Yeah, right next to me. Come on. Good evening, everyone. Tonight, we gather to celebrate an extraordinary educator, colleague, advocate, and friend, Kirsten Hassett, as she retires after an incredible 38 years of service to the students and families of Rocky Hill. Kirsten began her teaching career 38 years ago at West Hill School, teaching second grade. Even in her first year, it was clear that teaching was not simply going to be her profession, it was going to be her calling. In fact, after that first year, several of her students attended her wedding ceremony to celebrate alongside her. That says everything about the kind of connection Kirsten builds with children

006and families. Her students have always known they mattered deeply to her. Over nearly four decades, Kirsten has touched countless lives. Some of those young students she once taught are now current teachers in Rocky Hill themselves, a true testament to the lasting impact she has had, not only on children, but on the future of education in our community. Throughout her career, Kirsten has been a respected leader among her colleagues. She served as a grade level coordinator in both second and fourth grades, consistently demonstrating outstanding leadership, collaboration, and professionalism. She has always been someone others could turn to for guidance, support, and wisdom. But perhaps what stands out most about Kirsten is the unwavering way she has always put students first. She is a tireless advocate for her children, committed to helping every student receive exactly what

007they need to grow, succeed, and shine in their own unique way. Whether working with students in small groups, one-on-one, or supporting them through challenges, Kirsten has always approached teaching with patience, compassion, and deep sensitivity to student needs. Her commitment to students extends far beyond the classroom walls. Over the year, Kirsten attended countless student activities and school-sponsored events, including West Hill's beloved spirit nights. She showed up again and again because she genuinely cared about the being part of her students' lives and celebrating who they were outside of school as well. Kirsten also dedicated herself to improving the district as a whole. She served on district committees, including P-Tech, and participated in special women in leadership focus groups alongside district administrators. Her voice, insight, and professionalism have helped shape important conversations throughout the district. In addition, Kirsten

008has been a passionate advocate for educators and the teaching profession itself. Through her active involvement in the Rocky Hill Teachers Association, she demonstrated her deep belief in supporting teachers and protecting the integrity of the profession. She served as a building representative, membership co-chair, a member of the negotiations committee, and vice president for several years. She earned the respect of colleagues and administrators alike for her thoughtful approach, collaborative spirit, and ability to serve as a trusted sounding board. And through all of these roles, roles teacher, mentor, leader, advocate, Kirsten never lost sight of what mattered most, the children. That has always been her compass. Kirsten, your career has been defined not only by excellence, but by kindness, integrity, dedication, and heart. You have made Rocky Hill a better place simply by being here. The students you

009taught, the colleagues you supported, and the community you served are all better because of your work. As you begin this well-earned retirement, we hope you take with you the immense gratitude and admiration of everyone whose lives you have touched over these 38 remarkable years. Congratulations, Kirsten. Thank you for everything you have given to Rocky Hill and your legacy will continue for generations to come. Thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> Is Ms. Collado here? Steven Skull, come on up. Where is Kathy King? Was she with us tonight? She couldn't make it? Did you say some words about Kathy? I have words about Kathy. Thank you. Okay. Yeah. Yep, we can start with Kathy and then go right to Carolyn. Okay. Okay. Good evening, members of Board of Education, Dr. Zito, fellow administrators, distinguished guests, and our

010community members here in attendance and at home. It is a great honor to speak with you this evening about two incredible Steven staff members who are retiring this year. The first retiree, although not here in attendance tonight, I would like to recognize this evening is first grade teacher Ms. Kathy King. For the past 20 years, Rocky Hill Public Schools has been fortunate to have an educator whose dedication, professionalism, and care for students have left a lasting impact on our community. After entering education as a second career, inspired by the experiences of her own children, Kathy joined Rocky Hill Public Schools following early literacy and intervention work in West Hartford. What began as a one-year reading position grew into a remarkable 20-year career devoted to supporting students, families, and colleagues. For 17 years, Kathy taught third

011grade, where she became known for building strong academic foundations, encouraging independence, and helping students grow in confidence as learners. In recent years, she transitioned to first grade and found great joy in witnessing the tremendous growth young children make during those early school years. Beyond the classroom, Kathy shared her leadership and talents through roles including lead teacher, grade level coordinator, PBIS committee member, and facilitating teacher book clubs. She also created lasting memories for students through traditions such as running the mile each year with her third grade class. Kathy reflected that one of the most meaningful parts of her career has been the opportunity to work alongside inspiring and talented women while building friendships that have lasted throughout the past 20 years. While she will miss the daily camaraderie that comes with school life, those relationships will

012continue well beyond retirement. While I have only had the privilege of working with Kathy since October of 2024, it quickly became clear how respected and appreciated she is both by colleagues and students. Her straightforward nature, professionalism, commitment to students, and dedication to high expectations have made a meaningful impact within our school community. As she enters retirement, Kathy looks forward to embracing a slower pace, traveling, exploring new cultures, and spending more time enjoying creativity, nature, art, food, and all the experiences the world has to offer. We thank Kathy for her 20 years of dedication and service for the children of Rocky Hill, and we wish her joy, adventure, and health in this next chapter. Congratulations on your retirement, Kathy. >> [applause] [applause] >> Carolyn Same here. The second retiree I'd like to recognize and celebrate is

013Ms. Carolyn Cowette, whose positivity and dedication have made a lasting impact on the Rocky Hill Public Schools over the past 30 years. Carolyn began her career with the district in 1996 as a part-time paraeducator at Griswold Middle School. In 2006, she transitioned into a full-time role at GMS before spending part of the year at Moser School and eventually finding her home at Stevens School. Throughout her entire career, Carolyn has worked in special education, supporting students with diverse learning and behavioral needs. She served as a resource paraeducator for 20 years before spending the past 2 years working in the learning center. Carolyn shared that students with special needs have always held a very special place in her heart and that care and compassion have been evident in the work she has done each and every day.

014Each day, Carolyn has approached her work with patience and consistency, always meeting students where they are and helping them experience success throughout the school day. She has been a steady presence in the learning center, always willing to step in wherever needed. Carolyn's understanding of students' individual needs, along with her supportive and encouraging approach, have made a lasting impact on both students and families. We will miss her caring nature and calm demeanor throughout the halls of Stevens. Over the course of her 30 years in the district, Carolyn shared with me that she has worked alongside eight principals, those of which she had listed on a post-it note for me, and has built many meaningful friendships and connections with colleagues that continue to this day. As she enters retirement, she looks forward to slowing down after a

015lifetime of hard work, spending more time with friends and family, and enjoying the flexibility to travel to Indiana whenever she would like to visit her grandson Bryce. She is also excited to watch her grandson Aiden right here in Connecticut begin kindergarten this fall, a new chapter for both of them. Thank you, Carolyn, for 30 years of dedication, compassion, and service to the students and families. We wish you health, happiness, and many wonderful memories in this next chapter of retirement. Congratulations, Carolyn. >> [applause] [applause] >> Mr. Fody, come on up, please. Several high school individuals retiring this evening. Great. That's right. You got it. Thanks. So, uh good evening, everyone. Uh I do have three retirees to talk about tonight. And uh but I first want to congratulate all the right retirees tonight on a on

016a great career. And I'm glad that we're able to provide this platform for them. So, the first individual I want to talk about is Ann Wynn. Ann is a 39-year business education teacher. Um and when Ann began her career in Syracuse, after her stint in Syracuse, she went over to Massachusetts, eventually coming to the great state of Connecticut to teach, and where she spent 10 years as an ESL educator. Two decades in Hartford, she found her passion of entrepreneurship, and under her leadership, students were able to achieve some great successes. I asked her today what she's most proud of. She listed many, many things I didn't even know. Uh cuz every morning I walked through the building and I stop down and is in the basement. She likes it down there. She's got a great

017room. But I go down there because I know that the number of days are they're they're winding down and I have some terrific conversations with her. So, we talked a little bit about her life highlights of her career. She talked about the national competitions in which she was able to help her students earn thousands of dollars in scholarships. She talked about how she was invited to the White House during the Obama administration and she talked about her partnership for young women entrepreneurs who were honored with ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Those are some some pretty lofty accomplishments. Um, she also talked about how she worked with Dr. Zito and um, in Hartford and that uh, she is extremely proud of the work that she's done as a business education teacher.

018Um, Anne is extremely prideful in the work she does. She takes a lot of pride in professionalism and her students know that they have to have to meet her expectations or exceed them. There's nothing else um, other than meeting meeting what she wants them to do. She is will ever be known for her entrepreneurship class that goes to New York City uh, in the wholesale district of New York in which they spend a day exploring merchandise options, assessing market potential, negotiating wholesale prices with local vendors. She takes that project and then students have to um, sell and be evaluated. It's a quite a scene. She demands from me the um, mezzanine in the library. She brings in three business professionals and um, students are equipped to show uh, the knowledge that they have gained. I

019want to um, in my last uh, comment about Anne is we've done some student less led senior conferences at the end of the year tying the vision of the graduate and picking out um lessons that students have learned along the way and um basically we want students to kind of tie the vision of the graduate make a connection and like the soft skills. I can honestly say to you that in the 50 year or so less uh conferences that I had and kind of dominated that that students remember the lessons that she taught. So her impact is great. She will not be forgotten. She is planning on going to New Jersey to live in her beach house and uh start a business. She doesn't know what it's going to be. She likes to cook but

020she is going to make money because she is a go-getter and a first class woman. So I want to congratulate Anne on a terrific career. >> [applause] >> She's not here tonight because um she doesn't really like being in the in the limelight. So I I begged so but uh that's the way she like it. So the next individual that I would like to acknowledge is uh Dr. Parker. Dr. Parker do you want to come up here? >> [applause] [applause] >> I mean what do I say about uh Dr. Parker? I I mean she's a leader, she's a mentor, she's a coach. Probably one of the most genuine individuals that I have ever ever met. Uh she's soft-spoken but when she speaks everybody listens. Kind of like I guess E.F. Hutton you know it's we're

021a little outdated but uh Sharon is um absolutely beloved and adored by her department. The science team meets every first period for collaboration. Nobody misses. And they don't miss because they're scared of her. They miss her because they don't miss because they love being around her. And that's the truth. Um and they're every single every day every day trying to do the best that they can for our kids in those science classes. I I tried to think about all the things that I could say about Sharon, but but here's the thing that I'm going to remember for a long time. And it's it's amazing these little things and how they impact you. So every single day at I won't tell them what time you leave cuz it's fine. You You don't leave early. Um there

022are three to four members that have been doing this all year long. They don't leave. How many years have you been here? I've been here 17 years. >> Well, I haven't been here that long. So but they wait for her and they walk out with her to the car every day. And I asked them why they do that. It's like our days are numbered. We're not going to be able to do that anymore. And we want to experience every moment we can with Dr. Parker cuz she's she's that good a person to be around. And like I mean that really says it all. You are that kind of wonderful person and we're and we're so blessed to You are a team a a family. So I don't I you know, I was kidding around today.

023You're the science mama. Um we have two individuals who are going to be absolutely lost without you in your department and then you're going to be texting you or calling you all the time. Where's this box? Where's that box? Where are the microscopes? And so um it's a testament to what you've done there. Uh she is playing She likes to hike. She's a gardener. She likes to travel. And um I asked her what she specifically going to do. She goes we're going to take it take it day by day. But um her husband is recently retired. The kitchen is done. And um I just can't thank you enough for all the little things that you've done. You're super lady and you know, you [snorts] can stop if you want next year. Okay? So um Sharon

024Parker, congratulations. We're going to miss you. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Okay. The next individual is Ms. Elaine Malaspina. Is Elaine here? Okay. So, um, Elaine has started her career in Rocky Hill. She's a the library media specialist at our high school. She's been in Rocky Hill for 20 years 20 years. She started at Steven School. And when she arrived in 2016, she immediately changed components of the library, specifically upgrading the book collections uh, to reflect the greatest books book offerings in the library. She's made it a pleasant place for people and young people to go if they want that quiet time. She has always greeted students with a how can I help you attitude and I they appreciate that. It's been a welcome home for many kids. She is a avid golfer

025and she lives on the TPC, so she can't wait for the upcoming tournament in which she says it's the highlight of her year. Her husband loves to play golf, so she has no choice. She tees off every day about 3:15 um, and I kidded her today that, well, you went from 18 to playing 36. Uh, most of our conversations are about golf. I can say that this year Elaine and I bonded. I had to go to her and asked her to to to be a team player for me. I asked her to redesign the library. I asked her to move the yearbook room, um, in a better place. I asked her to make room for the IT gentlemen to service our our students for Chromebooks. I asked her to take students when we had overflow

026issues and she even assisted with helping out with the writing center and math peer tutor lab when staffing was short. So, um and she took it like a champ every time I went to her and asked her and and that's the ultimate team player. So, I'll I'll remember how Anne I mean how Elaine, sorry, helped us out when we needed that. And uh we're going to miss her and uh I'm just hoping that she considers me for a round of at the TPC this year. So, uh I just want to congratulate her on her years of service. She is a is a is a fine professional. So, congratulations to Elaine. >> [applause] >> Mr. Maziarz is our principal at Griswold Middle School. I don't think Lori's here tonight. >> not. Thank you, Dr. Zito. Good

027evening, everyone. Uh this may be a surprise to some of you in the crowd, but we don't usually have crowds this big at Board of Ed meetings. Um but I think there's no better reason to have such a large crowd than honoring the kids of Rocky Hill and the hard work of all of our retirees. So, it's so great that we have such a large crowd here tonight. I do want to start by congratulating all of the retirees uh in the room. I looked down the list and I realized that um over my 25-year career, I've worked with almost all of them, um which means I'm becoming the old guy in the district, I guess. Um a role I'm not ready to embrace yet, by the way. So, um so, congratulations to all of you.

028Uh we are thrilled for you and maybe just a little bit jealous of our retirees, too. So, tonight I'm here to honor Lori Ivers. She is not here today. Um Lori, we celebrate her remarkable career as a special education teacher and she's played such an important role in the lives of her students at GMS for the past decade. For over 30 years, Lori has touched countless lives with her calm presence and gentle spirit. Her 10 years here have been transformative, not just for our students, but for our entire school community. She has an extraordinary gift, the ability to reach students when others could not, to unlock potential that seemed hidden, and to make every child feel seen and valued. Lori's classroom has always been a sanctuary of patience and respect. Students gravitate toward her because

029they know she truly gets them. Parents trust her completely, knowing their children are in good hands of someone who cares deeply and truly understands how to move kids. Our staff has watched her work her magic year after year, earning admiration and respect from every colleague. What makes Lori special isn't just her skill as an instructor, though she is undeniably talented. She approaches each student with grace, meeting them exactly where they are. She celebrates their victories, supports them through challenges, and never, ever gives up on any one of her students. As she begins this exciting new chapter, Lori, know that your legacy lives on in every student you inspired, every parent you reassured, and every colleague you connected with. You helped make GMS a great place to work, to learn, and to visit. Thank you for

030your many years of dedication. You will be deeply missed. Congratulations on a career beautifully lived. Best wishes to Mrs. Ivers. Thank you. >> [applause] >> And our facilities director, Ron LaMain, LaMontaine is going to talk about Brian Christensen this evening. Brian's here. Brian, come on up, please. >> [applause] [clears throat] >> Good evening, everybody. Um I'd like to congratulate all the folks tonight getting recognition for retirement and student awards. Um but what I'm really here for tonight is to uh recognize and celebrate someone who has given 27 years of service to our district, Brian Christensen. 27 years, that's longer than some of our staff have been alive. Um but not as long as some of our HVAC equipment has been lasting. Over the years, Brian has seen changing superintendents. He's not going to see this

031one change though. He's going to He's already gone, so. Um changing principals, changing students, and probably several thousand rolls of paper towels. Through it all, he's been the one constant, hardworking, dependable, and dedicated every single day. In custodial work, people often notice things only when they go wrong, but with Brian, things just got done. Quietly, consistently, and without complaint. If something needed fixing, moving, cleaning, or helping with, he was already on it before anyone even had to ask. Beyond the work itself, Brian is the kind of person who would give the shirt off his back to help you out. Although in his case, it would probably be one of the district-issued custodial t-shirts he's been wearing wearing for the last 27 years. Honestly, Brian's biggest adjustment in retirement might be realizing he actually has to

032start buying his own clothes again. >> [laughter] >> His dedication, kindness, and sense of humor have made a lasting impact on the district and on everyone lucky enough to have worked alongside him. Brian, on behalf of the entire district, the Board of Education, thank you, Brian, for 27 years of outstanding service. Congratulations on your retirement, you certainly earned it. >> [applause] [applause] >> Congratulations to all of our staff who are retiring, and yes, as Mr. Misiorski said, a little bit jealous. Um moving on to our student recognitions, and again, I am going to turn the microphone over to Rocky Hill High School. We are going to be celebrating our um top students, the valedictorian and salutatorian. And Mr. Foti. Going to hear the jokes now, but here we go. I'd like to call up the

033salutatorian Adon Bosley. >> [applause] >> Take a look because you've seen us many times this year standing up here. Someone said to me we were related. Today it's a great honor. So uh there was too much to write, so I tried to summarize things the best I could. So um when I when I think of Adon, I think of one word, doer. I mean the kid's a doer. And uh from the day he walked into my office um I knew I could count on this young man. And uh no fluff. He had a gentle well, at least I think he's gentle. Um way of getting his point across and um we live in an age today where sometimes we do things for ourselves. Sorry. But he always came into my office for the greater good.

034He always looked at it from a bigger lens. Like how can I help others? And I'm going to always respect those two things about him. Um and that's a special young man where it starts in the home. And so, uh I think we met every week. Every week? Probably, yeah. Sometimes when you didn't show up. >> Maybe three times a week, four times a week. Yeah. That's probably more accurate. And um they were all um good times. I'm going to I'm going to really miss those times for him and I I might have to call on him here and there if I forgot something or he put something in a folder I can't find. But um let's talk about he he's going to attend Harvard University next year in Cambridge, Mass. >> [applause] >> He's

035going to pursue a uh degree in diplomacy, government, and economics. He has been preparing this probably since sixth or seventh grade. And he'll forever be known for two things. This the student equity board that he served at the CIAC. I mean, the guy was the cog of the entire board. Um not one meeting, not two. He he ran basically the CIAC stuff. Um I protected you, too, by the way, because of the deja vu, but you deserve it. And so, what he did there was amazing. He ran workshops. He held uh titles at conventions. I mean, he was a mainstay. Um it's going to be hard for them to to find somebody that they can depend on as much as him. So, I want to acknowledge that. I also want to acknowledge his thrust and

036belief and passion for Model UN and UN. He uh started it. And then he took it to another level where he went to conferences. And then as you all know, he put on a Rocky Hill High School Model UN that was uh outstanding. I'm I'm still in awe of what he did that night with um just the details. Um and and and how he how a young man manages a staff um of his age is outstanding. He's also a tennis athlete and he's been doing that for 4 years. And um his role in the team is is is very important. I know that >> [clears throat] >> he's thankful for his parents for what they've done for him and and the support they've given him. Also, um, here's a young man that is extremely grateful

037for the teachers he's had. As a matter of fact, he would come to me and say, "Hey, just want to let you know that this teacher got this award." Or or hey, "This teacher earned this." And so again, always mindful and and very um, uh, appreciative of what they've done. So, um, more than anything, he's most proud of his 6-week stint that he spent last summer for the US Department State program, the National Security Language Institute for the Youth, in which he lived with a host family for 6 weeks and and learned Mandarin. Um, big risk-taker. Again, uh, I could go on and on and on. Very proud of him as a salutatorian of our class. And um, I just want to say thank you and uh, congratulations. >> [applause] [applause] >> Okay, [clears throat]

038so the next individual I'd like to give is Alina Jos, the valedictorian. Alina. >> [applause] >> Congratulations. So, I always meet with the students the day of just kind of go make make sure they're coming, but also to kind of just reinforce some of the things because if you were to read all these unbelievable essays, the a lot of them are similar, but I I kind of want you to get to know the kid a little bit more and what they're most proud of. So, uh, Alina will be going to UConn. She has decided to do a pre-med track. And she has had this in mind for a while. She joined the HOSA club this year and where she was able to get some practical uh experiences. And so she has solidified that. So I

039asked her what she's most proud of. She said that being on the science team and she kind of explained the science team as the A team. I guess you pay your dues, but when you reach the A team with Mr. Debacco, you're on the double A team. And so what I mean by that is this is where we compete against others others science schools. And she said that this year they achieved the highest um accomplishments that any science team has ever ever done. So that's what she's most proud of is the camaraderie and the accomplishments of her work on the science team. She has taken AP courses, honor level courses. She likes to credit and she made a some really cool points. Can I share the cool points? Okay. And so she says and again,

040not limiting, but these are the names that she mentioned mentioned today. She said, "How do you not work and put as much effort in to your classes when you have a Mr. Debacco, a Mrs. Morgan, a Mr. Grasa that puts that much time into what they're doing? You can see it. So it would be sad if I didn't put the same effort." And she recognized that early in her ninth grade year. And I just thought that that statement was just so telling that I had to share. And um it's awesome that you were able to see that. And so because of our teachers' commitment to our students, because of their love and passion for what they do, this is the impact that they had on our our students. You called it, I'm not sure, momentum

041training. So I think they gave her the momentum that she could be great. And what she did is she took that and she carried with it for four years. She's a tennis athlete, too. She's enjoying the season because of the hard work. She said that Rock Hill High School taught her one thing, it's consistency. And and that being consistent is really important in life. And I agree with you. So, um the last thing that she mentioned when we talked today was she said, "I just did a lot of things cuz I thought that's what high school was all about." Another very perceptive um comment by a very fine young lady who is most deserving as valedictorian. Congratulations, Elena. >> [applause] [applause] >> Okay, we are now moving on to the Kabe Student Leadership Awards. John,

042you're not done. These people are going to get sick of me. Last week Last time was a half hour. Okay, sorry. All right. That's it. You know, it's easier graduation with one piece of paper. Okay, so Kabe winners, leadership. And the first individual I want to call up is Anthony Torres Toba. >> [applause] >> So again, I met with the Anthony a little bit today. Um usually see him at church, but uh today uh I invited him to come down here and so that we can talk about his leadership and why he was chosen. He His leadership basically when we had this conversation, he referred to his time uh with the track team. And that he was most proud of his captaincy that he earned. For 4 years he had this vision for a couple

043years and he was finally able to get that this year and lead his team. Now, for those of you who are from the track, there's a lot of events, right? A a of personalities, right? So, you have to get everybody together, and so he said that he learned a lot in this leadership role. He was very proud of his academic jump that he made at Rocky Hill High School in which he started out with academic classes, figured out, "Hey, I can do this." And then went on to take honors and AP classes. He figured it out. And um again, being very perceptive as a young person, um and knowing what you want is awesome. He wants to credit his grandparents who um came over here to this country and they has banged in his head

044that nothing is given to you. You need to deserve your stripes all the time. He's a good-hearted young man, and I know that he's going to be successful. He is going to Central Connecticut State University, and he is going to pursue and make a lot of money in the finance field. Congratulations on being a leader. >> [applause] >> So, the next individual for the CAB Leadership Award, which again uh is given out for individuals with with true leadership qualities, is Alexa Toller. >> [applause] >> So, last week So, last week, what was it called again? It was um when you guys in the morning when you wore your shirts? I forgot. It escaped my mind. You know, your college stuff. Yeah, Decisions Day. Decisions Day. Thank you. Getting old. Getting old. So, Decisions Day, I

045see her walking down the hallway, and she's got this big T, right? I'm like, "I know that. I watch a lot of football, uh college football." She's going to Tennessee, University of Tennessee. She's going to be a Vol next year. A volunteer. So, um we immediately hit it off. We said some things back and forth. We've had a student 2 years ago who was at Tennessee. You won't see her cuz there's 200,000 kids there. >> [laughter] >> But, she's super excited to be going to the University of Tennessee. She is going to be pursuing an accounting degree. And I can pretty much say that Mrs. Latina had a lot to do with that. And did you take 1 year or 2 years? 1 1 year. Okay. And so, the reason that she was chosen for

046this award is she did over 200-plus hours of community service. It's pretty amazing. And what she said in our conversation today is that she likes working with young people and making a difference and an impact. She continued to give of herself. She's in the National Honor Society. She's a writing collaborator and a math peer tutor in our building. And she said the reason that she likes doing that is she likes it when people understand. But, she really appreciates when she gets a thank you. And so, I just thought that in our conversation today that that said a lot about who she is. And she's given so much time. And in that capacity, um, I've talked to her teachers and and she is a really a true leader. She loves to dance. She's been dancing since

047she's been 2 years old. And she drives 45 minutes every day to go to dance because she loves it. And she's passionate about it. And so, if you follow your passions and you continue to be the quality person you are, you're going to do great things. I will root for University of Tennessee other than when they play Yukon, but Yukon football's got no chance. So, um, thank you. And you're very deserving. And congratulations. >> [applause] >> Military >> And next we have our military commitments. Okay. So, I would like to call Trish Trish Shamet up here for to recognize our our Rocky Hill High School military students um who is the head of the Blue Star Mothers program. Trish? I'm here. Oh, there you are. I'm right here. I'm ready. You're going to give me

048a hug, >> [applause] >> right? Yeah, I know. You made me finally, right? You're amazing. Thanks. Hi, I'm Trisha Shamet with the Blue Star Mothers of America and we are a organization. There's only about 35 of us in Connecticut, but what we do is support families as well as the the military um children. We call them children cuz they're our children, but I know they're adults. So, anyhow, we really it's important for us to congratulate these kids and honor them because only 2% of the high school graduating kids go on to be in our military and they protect all the rest of us here and abroad. So, we're very proud of that and with that I'd like to have, let's see, it's Paul Cristalli and Tiago Pereira and their families. >> [applause] >> one in

049each of these. >> [applause] >> Hi. Are your families here? Oh, good. That's perfect. I'm very proud of you both going into the Navy. So, if you'd want to just line up here, I want mom and if there's moms here to cord them. It's a family thing when your child goes into the military. It's it's a it you need a few whole family in. Those are navy pins with the cord and as you do that, I'm just going to read a quick prayer. Okay? Heavenly Father, I lift up Diego and Paul, sorry. As they enter the military, place your hand protected Place Please place your protected hands upon them, shield them from harm, and surround them with your peace. Give them strength for the challenges ahead, and guide their steps in every situation. Keep them

050safe in your care, and bring them safely back to us. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Good luck. Congratulations. The Navy is very happy to get you guys. Thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> Thank you for your Yes. Mr. Maziarz. Come on, please. Moving on to Griswold Middle School, we also have some CAPE student student leadership awards to give away tonight. We do. Uh I'd like to start by congratulating all of our student award winners tonight. I think it's always so important that we celebrate the amazing accomplishments of our Rocky Hill kids. Um and a special shout-out to Paul and Tiago, who are former Stevens School alums of mine. I remember them when they were little. They're so much bigger now. It scared me a little bit, but like woah. But, thank you for your service.

051We appreciate that. Um and before I bring up our amazing GMS students, I do want to acknowledge the families in the room. Um we know that these amazing kids don't just show up at our doorstep like this. You all have put a lot of work into raising them, and we appreciate that. So, um thank you for that, and thank you to the Rocky Hill staff who continue to challenge uh these kids, embrace them, and foster a love of learning. So, I'm going to start with the GMS CABE Award winners, and I'd like to present to you Zoya Koliadis and Savanch Tammaneni. Come on up, Zoya and Savanch. >> [applause] [applause] >> I told them they had to prepare a speech. Zoya got very nervous when I said that. No speeches. Okay. The Connecticut Association of

052Boards of Education Student Leadership Award is given to two students with exemplary leadership skills and a willingness to take on challenges. They demonstrate concern for others and diplomacy toward all. And this year's CABE Award winners check every one of those boxes. We'll start with Zoya. Ladies first. Zoya is a model student. She's not afraid to take intellectual risks and is truly curious about all subject matters. She has a strong growth mindset, approaching tasks as an opportunity to expand her understanding of the world around her. She's a leader in class discussions, pushing the conversation in new directions. Zoya takes on challenges and engages with material she isn't sure about with a positive attitude. She is willing to ask questions, make mistakes, and improve upon her work. It is always refreshing to work with a student who

053is interested in learning for the learning's sake, and Zoya typifies that kind of student. In addition to her academic strength, she leads by example and is an all-inclusive and kind individual. She is supportive and patient and a non-judgmental peer who can often be seen laughing with classmates in an effort to cheer them up. She embraces opportunities to work with others even though even though she's unfamiliar with them. Zoya possesses confidence that is unusual for a young woman of her age. She has her own unique interests and is not afraid to share them with others. Her inner confidence allows her to willingly accept differences in others which makes her a natural leader. Academically, Zoya is always on the honor roll making her one of our school's true scholars. Simply put, she is an exemplary student. Congrat-

054congratulations to Zoya Koli 2026 Cave GMS award winner. Congratulations. >> [applause] >> One of these is yours. This one. So, stay up here. Okay, our second award winner tonight is Savanch Tamaneni. The gentleman to my right. Savanch consistently demonstrates the core values of this award through his kindness, integrity, and quiet leadership. He is mature and self-motivated. Savanch is always respectful to both students and adults. He's responsible and hardworking student who is always ready to help others. Savanch is a thoughtful contributor in class and is consistently prepared. His drive to succeed is matched by his openness to feedback and desire to learn and grow. He is a confident yet humble student who always leads by example. He works well with peers, shows patience and empathy, and is a positive influence both in and out of the

055classroom. He makes thoughtful decisions and handles challenges with grace. Much like Zoya, Savanch is an honor roll student achieving exceptionally high grades in all subjects. He works hard and does so with a smile on his face. Congratulations Savanch Timmaneni, 2026 GMS Cabe Award winner. >> [applause] >> All right, Mr. Maziarz, I don't think you're done yet. So, we have the CAS Middle School Students >> stand up here and talk about GMS kids all night if you like me to. They're They're fantastic. We have two real special ones. So, I'm going to call our our Scholar Leader Award winners that Shree Chidharwar and Bonnie Sandhu. Come on down, girls. >> [applause] >> So, just the other night, it was Monday night they got this award at the Aquaturf. It was a special dinner and you can

056just see by the smiles on their faces and their personality just lit up the entire Aquaturf. There were like 2,000 people there, but these two really lit up the room if you ask me. So, it is an honor to present to all of you tonight our GMS Scholar Leaders. This award is given to two exceptional eighth grade students who demonstrate the highest academic achievement in all subject areas, possess distinct leadership qualities and are and are exceptional community servants. They truly represent all the values that we foster each and every day. Each of these students was selected by their respective team of teachers. These following descriptions were composed by these teams of teachers. We'll start with Shree. Blue team. It is the Blue Team's honor to recognize Shree as the recipient of the 2026 Scholar Leader

057Award. Shree consistently demonstrates outstanding academic achievement while also serving as a positive and uplifting presence within our school community. Beyond excelling in the classroom, she genuinely looks out for others, showing kindness, maturity, and empathy in everyday interactions. Recently, Shri attended a Women's Empowering Generations Conference in Atlanta with her mother, an experience that reflects the value she places on growth, leadership, and learning from others. Truly amazing. Shri is exceptionally well-spoken, respectful, and thoughtful, leading not only through accomplishment, but through the example she sets for those around her. Outside of school, Shri states that she likes to be involved in her community, whether it be for fun or for a purpose. She has played Parks and Rec basketball for several years, and also volunteered at local cultural events, and has helped organize food donation drives for several

058Connecticut agencies. In addition, she and her friends joined forces and participated in the You Be the Chemist competition this year, and her group finished in first. Just saying. Shri is an exceptionally responsible, mature student. She maintains her focus, striving to achieve no matter the obstacles or distractions she may meet. She is willing to take intellectual risks, leading class discussions, and pushing the classes thinking in new directions. It is refreshing to have a student who truly cares more about the learning process than the end result. We are proud to present Shri Chajara with this well-deserved recognition. Congratulations, Shri. >> [cheering] [applause] >> Okay. The Royal Team nominated Bonnie Sandhu. The middle school's Royal Team proudly recognizes Bonnie Sandhu as their 2026 Scholar Leader. Bonnie is a hard-working student who strives to do well. She's deeply invested

059in her learning, caring more about understanding the concepts explored than the grades she earns. Though she earns pretty good grades, too. She is kind and inclusive of her peers, always on the lookout for someone who needs a hand. She has earned the respect of adults and classmates alike with her genuine care for others. She pursues leadership opportunities that allow her to share her time and talent for the greater good. She can always be counted on to go above and beyond whenever she is called upon to help out. As an enthusiastic member of student council, she has participated in the CASL Middle Level Leadership Conference, represented GMS at Board of Education meetings, you may recognize her, and regularly volunteers for community service. Bonnie is also a member of the town's Youth to Youth Coalition, also plays

060basketball in our Parks and Rec League. She's a member of GMS's Common Ground Club and our Art Club. And most notably, Bonnie recently participated in a Teen Entrepreneurship Program. Academically, Bonnie is a true scholar achieving success at the highest possible level in the classroom. She's a staple on our honor roll list. Much like Shree, she's an exceptionally well-rounded individual. Most importantly, Bonnie is a good person sharing her positive spirit with all who are lucky enough to come in contact with her each and every day. And I'm one of those. Bonnie is a model student and represents all of the qualities we hope to see in our GMS students. Congratulations to Bonnie Sandhu, GMS 2026 Scholar Leader. >> [applause] >> Congratulations all of our student recognitions. And I know we have a very full crowd right

061now and you probably are waiting for me to take a recess. However, we have a few more awards that are going going to be coming up under some district celebrations. We also have a presentation, so hold on just a few more agenda items and we'll get there. Um right now I'm going to move to agenda item number three, which is audience participation. Is um and this portion of the meeting is open to the public. Um we do ask that if you are coming up to speak, please come up to the microphone and state your name and address and try to limit your comments to 2 minutes on any topic. Is there anyone here that wishes to address the board this evening? If so, please come forward. >> [snorts] >> Good evening, everyone. My name is

062Janie Pandya. And I'm 10 years old. I love to hike and play flute, but there is one more important thing um I love which is helping my community. I help our community by raising funds for our BAPS Walk-a-thon which I have been part since I was 1 year old. Collected funds help the Rocky Hill Police Department and Fire Department. There this year the Walk-a-thon is on May 31st at Elm Ridge Park. I welcome all of you to join us for the walk. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Uh Adon Bose, 28 Webster Drive, student Rocky Hill High School. Um first, [clears throat] congrats to all the retirees. Uh special thanks to Mrs. Husted. She was my fourth grade teacher. Um so, I I wanted to just come up here and uh just express my gratitude towards

063this district because um I never imagined one day I'd be going to Harvard, but it wasn't because of my efforts or just my parents' efforts, it was because of the efforts of this town. I moved here in third grade. I was in Mrs. Gamba's class, who I believe retired a couple years ago. And since then, every single teacher that I've had has supported me in a way that I could have never imagined and has elevated me to heights that I've never ever expected. And I'm just so grateful for this town. I've had brilliant principals. Mr. Ford has been with me along the way and then I think we've recreated a special bond. Apart from that, all my English teachers and the high school, Mrs. Berry, Mrs. Morgan, Mrs. Orjiemma. I never was a strong writer,

064but today I can confidently say that their support has led me in so many so many different ways. Just entire math department, Mr. Grace. I could keep on going a list of every single teacher and just their accomplishment and how they've played such a vital role in my life. That would take maybe I'd be here for 2 hours for every single But But honestly, every single teacher, not just teachers, even the custodian staff that when I hosted my Model UN event, they were so helpful. And I think that's what represents our town is a collaborative town. And you know, as I leave, this will be my last probably speech as a student at Rocky Hill High School on this board, even though I've at the Board of Ed meeting. Though it's bittersweet, I know that

065Rocky Hill's in good hands and that's because of our teachers. So, big congrats and thanks to all of our teachers. And yeah, I'm proud to say that I'm a Terrier and I will always be even when I'm in Cambridge. So, thank you so much. >> [applause] >> A dot We do have one more Board of Ed meeting in June if you'd like to come back, you're more than welcome. Uh hi, my name's Mihir Patel and I'm in ninth grade. I'd like to talk about uh, the BAPS Charities Walk-A-Thon. Uh, so when most people hear the word Walk-A-Thon, they might think of it as just a long walk. But the BAPS Walk-A-Thon is something far greater. It's an experience built on unity, service, and the belief that when people come together with a purpose, they can

066truly they can truly make a difference in their community. When you're actually walking, you can feel the energy where families, students, elders, and volunteers all move together with the same purpose. There's an encouragement, po- positivity, and a sense that you're part of something much bigger than yourself. Many participate in the BAPS Walk-A-Thon because it reminds them that small steps can really lead to a greater impact. Each step is beyond yourself and is part of something much greater. It and it can help the community in many ways. The BAPS Walk-A-Thon isn't just about walking the distance. It's about walking with purpose, walking with pride, and walking together as one global family united through service. I truly hope to seeing you there, and thank you. >> [applause] >> Hello everyone. I'm Rutik Shah, 6 Steve Kumar, 6

067German Drive, Apartment D. Um, so, uh, I'll keep this very short. Um, I know that there are a lot of events in our community, and, um, as an avid volunteer, I've of them. I've participated in a lot of them. Um, but one thing I always feel like it's missing is a lot of people don't know about these events. Like if I ask teachers, they don't know what's going on in the community center. If I ask people in the community center, they don't know what's going on in the school. And I've talked to a lot of people, uh, when I organize events, and they're like, "If there's any way I can put up something in the school or do something, Uh we used to be able to do like collaborate with the school um and all

068that and we can't do that anymore and I just feel like um if there was a way to connect the whole community together, uh maybe like a uh website or uh social media thing um uh I think uh that would be an amazing thing for our community. Maybe that would be my next project, I don't know. Uh so I just wanted to uh bring that out. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Okay, some of them this I have prepared just now. Uh first of all, congratulations to all the retirees. Some of them I have worked as a parent, some of them I have worked as a co-worker. Uh hi Miss Hassett. >> [laughter] >> And then some of them because of them my son is how he is right now. Miss Ann, your um business class

069he has attended and now he will be graduating business school from NYU Stern University. So maybe the seed was there at in eighth ninth grade, right? Um This is my home team. I have grown here. In fact, I have I'm born here as an educator. I have grown here and then I graduated in 2024 as a teacher out of this district. So I always value the things we I learned I carry forward as a teacher. Um as an educator, we know like how much it is important to instill the value of teamwork, gratitude, kindness in all of our kids. Whether it's students or it's our own kids, right? Um this youth volunteers in BAPS Charities learn this while having fun at a very young age. They start at three years coming to the temple and

070learning all these values. So I please encourage everybody out here here support their cause because they have been really connected with this cause and you know, this has installed so many great values to them and they do carry forward this in their life and become a really good human being. So, I really encourage everyone to attend the hall. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Uh Alina Jones, 209 Whitewood Drive, student at Rocky Hill High School. Um since I'm here, I'll keep this brief, but I really just wanted to thank everyone, all of my teachers, all of my staff, the faculty, the administration at the Rocky Hill Public School Department. I As Foti mentioned, I accredit a lot of my own success towards my teachers and this is completely true. I believe that they pushed me. They

071really motivated me to do what I did in high school and I can never thank them enough for all that they did. And special shout out to Dr. Parker, she's retiring this year and she was like honestly one of the best biology teachers I've ever had. Um she she listens to our problems. We She gives us advice and even though we may bore her sometimes and we may sometimes act like we're not paying attention in class, I promise that we really do love you. You're an amazing teacher and I'll miss you greatly. And also one more final word to these middle school scholars, you guys are amazing, you guys are disciplined, you guys are motivated and I want you to I want you guys to know that you can keep on exploring. Your life is

072not yet defined at middle school and it's not yet defined at high school either. You have so much You have so many endless possibilities. You can do anything you want to do and Rocky Hill is the town where you can achieve success no matter what you do. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Hello. Hello, my name is Rachel Jones. I go to West Hill Elementary School. First the first thing I want to point out is congratulations to all the retirees. And second thing, I'm in second grade and I wanted to point out that in first grade there was three field trips and in second grade, even though we're older, we only got two field trips. So, I'd like to add um another field trip for second grade. >> [applause] >> Um Ishita Bhosle, 28 Westward Drive,

073student at Rock Hill High School. Hi, I'm a ninth grader and coming into high school, you know, I was told there's so much more work in high school, but with that, with coming of age, it also comes with responsibilities and more freedom. So, I joined clubs like HOSA, Model UN, DECA, Justice for All. I feel like those really gave an outreach of maybe what I'm interested about and that kind of helped me with passion and um yeah, I think all these clubs have been doing great. Like I want to thank all the advisors, all the teachers, you guys for making these clubs happen and yeah, I'm going to keep this brief really brief, but um yeah, I just I really think we're doing a great job. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Good evening, everyone. Uh

074I'm Purush Bhosle. Okay, this is the one. I'm not used to speaking here like my son does every meeting, but I'm glad to be here and I just wanted to congratulate all the students who received the awards today. I just want to thank all the the the teachers uh for all the support they have extended to all the kids uh at all of these schools. Uh I don't know if any of your parents, you know, are present here. You have seen the results of the class of 2026 at high school, the top 20. There are three students going to Ivy League schools. And there are many others going to great schools. There are two students who are going to Navy. So, you know, we have a great things going on at the at the at

075the town. And it's all of, you know, all because of you. We were wondering whether we should send our kids to a private high school or Rocky Hill High School. We chose Rocky Hill High School, and that was a great decision. I know many parents who send, you know, Edan's um friends to private high schools. They want to send their younger ones to Rocky Hill High School. So, and there are many things that you have done right, whether it's the Model UN, DECA, HOSA. There are so many clubs that the Rocky Hill High School has. It provides a lot of opportunities. So, thank you, Mr. Forti, for all the support and the Board of Ed, because you fund these programs. So, I have only one request for you. I think we have a bright future

076for this town. And the only reason I'm standing here is that we have more generations. We need to create good citizens. So, use your funds wisely. Don't stop these programs because there are bright students here. We need to make it bigger. We should be feeder school for all these great schools. So, that's the request I have, and that's all I'm talking to you about. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Is there anyone else that wishes to address the board this evening? Okay. Seeing no one, I'm going to ask our report for student representatives from the high school. would you please come forward? Hello everyone, it's me again. Um Hi Ruthie. Hello. >> [laughter] >> Um I'll keep this I'll try to keep this short because John B. wrote me a very long speech. Um but yeah,

077good evening um members of the board, administration, and community. We can't believe we're giving our final report of the school year. Um it feels like this year flew by. Over the past few weeks, our school community has had the opportunity uh to celebrate many accomplishments, milestones, and events that reflect the hard work and dedication of our students and staff. Um on April 25th, students had the opportunity to take the Seal of Biliteracy test, uh which is a test to show the achievement in demonstrating proficiency in multiple languages and highlighting the importance of communication and cultural understanding. Um on April 27th, students participating in Unified Sports attended the awards celebration at AquaTurf, recognizing not only athletic achievement, but also teamwork, inclusion, and sportsmanship. Students involved in music were also recognized through Tri-M Music Honor Society induction

078on April 28th. After meeting ensemble participation, academic, and volunteering requirements, students underwent an audition process to be accepted for the induction. At the induction, the students performed and were recognized for their performance skills, leadership, dedication, and um dedication to the arts. I just went went there for the cake. Um the annual pasta dinner band pasta dinner on May 2nd brought together students, families, and community members in support of our our program and helped continue traditions that strengthen strengthen the school spirit. Um the event featured performances from the R H H jazz band. They're very good. And large amounts of pasta, and large amounts of dessert, and was run with the help of parents and volunteers. Um from May 4th through May 15th, many students completed AP exams after months of preparation and hard work. We

079recognize the effort and dedication that goes into challenging oneself academically, and wish students the best as they await their results. Um students also celebrated important milestones through junior prom on May 8th, and senior prom on May 15th. It's one of the biggest events of the year for the junior and senior class, and we know students created memories and literally danced the night away with their classmates. And plus, they looked amazing. Um on May 18th, the top 20 dinner had occurred at DeNavalis. Um I hope I pronounced that right. Honoring the highest achieving students in the senior class, along with the teach teachers who made a big impact on them. It was a night full of appreciation and reflection. This week, students have continued showcasing their talents through the spring band and concert choir choir concert

080on May 19th, and the art show taking place May 19th through May 20th, highlighting the creativity and dedication present throughout our high school community. Additionally, the junior class will participate in NGSS testing on May 20th. Um and we wish everyone success as they complete this assessment. Um and this um is was supposed to be John V's uh final board of ed report, but unfortunately, she couldn't make it here. Um Um but she did write a small speech that I would like to say on behalf of her. Uh so she said, "I want to thank the board, administration, staff, and students for allowing me the opportunity to serve and represent student voices. It has been an honor to share updates and celebrate the accomplishments of our school community throughout the year. Thank you for your continued

081support and for making our schools a place where students can grow, succeed, and create meaningful experiences. Thank you, and have a great evening." >> [applause] >> Ruthie, thank you for that update at Rackley AHS school. And now I'm moving on to our report for student representatives from West Hill school. >> [applause] >> Good evening, members of the Board of Education, central office staff. My name is Savannah. And I am Harsh. Thank [snorts] you for allowing us to share what has been happening so far this year at West Hill. It has been a very busy year with lots of learning and some fun mixed in. In January, we had our snowball dance. We dressed up and danced to some of our favorite songs, got snowflake tattoos, and drank hot chocolate. Even the West Hill Mustang made

082an appearance. On February 4th, West Hill School participated in the Global Day of Play. Some classes made robots out of cardboard cardboard and made creations out of recycled materials and stacked cups. My favorite part of that day was when I was building houses with my friends for our keychains. What about you? My favorite part was making a house for Cam's guinea pig. >> [clears throat] >> On February 14th, we had an event called RHPS Cares for our Concierege families. There were lots of yummy food and really fun and exciting games for everyone to enjoy. It was a fun and exciting day. Classes celebrated the 100th day of school in February by decorating shirts with 100 items and parading around the school. Some classes and teachers dressed up as if they were the 100 years old.

083On March Monday 2nd, we celebrated Read Across America Week. And one book this year, our district picked the books by the author Jory John. We read fun books like The Bad Seed, The Smart Cookie, The Good Egg. Our third grade teachers even dressed up as the books, too, which also We We also got to dress up as our favorite storybook characters, which was really fun. Did you dress up? Yes, I was Annie from the Magic Tree House. This year, students from Rocky Hill High School volunteered to be mentors for some of our students at West Hill School. When the mentors visit, they read they read books with students, play sports, and play fun games together. We also got a special sneak peek of the Rocky Hill High School's production of The Little Mermaid. The students

084performed a few songs from the show and answered questions from the audience. It was really fun and exciting to watch. We also had a really fun assembly called a Safari Laser Light Show. We learned about different animals and creatures that lived in parts of Africa and South America and the ecosystems where they live. One of the coolest parts was seeing the colorful light shining on the ceiling while listening to fun music. On St. Patrick's Day, a mysterious leprechaun visited our school. He left glitter all over the floors and even used some of our toilets. >> [laughter] >> We also celebrated by wearing green that day and listened to Mr. Nelson sing a song for St. Patrick's Day that morning. For Earth Day, our Earth Warriors Club held a bottle drive and collected over 11 bags

085of bottles and cans. At the end of April, we had a meet and greet with the Blue Path Therapy dog named Walter. He rested on his blue mat while we cuddled with him, pet him, and took a lot of pictures with him. We could even buy stuffed animals that looked looked just like Walter, which was really cool. We also had our first ever color run last week. That was so much fun. Our school raised $13,630, which means we raised enough money to have our very own Blue Path Therapy dog at West Hill next year and some other fun things for our playground. Last week, the second grade performed for both our school and their parents and held a chorus concert. The same night we had our school-wide art show with a big theme of the

086sky's the limit. There was even a whole hallway with black lights and glow-in-the-dark paints. We also had Oh, we still have so many fun things to look forward to before the school year ends. We have field day, our quarter concert, field trip to the Dinosaur State Park, and the trip to see the Newb and Beas game where the third graders will sing the national anthem. Thank you again and for inviting us here tonight. We all you We all hope you had a fun and relaxing summer and congratulations and best wishes to Dr. Zito on his upcoming retirement. Lastly, >> [applause] >> we would like to give you a special gift from all of us at West Hill Lastly, we would like to give you a special gift from all of us at West Hill School

087to celebrate our new blue paw therapy dog. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you, friends from West Hill. We enjoyed that presentation. >> [clears throat] >> Thank you so much. Moving on to agenda item number four with district celebrations. I'm going to turn the microphone over to Mr. Cosker who wants to speak about unified sports. Uh good evening everyone. I'll be quick um which is a delight to most people in the room including my board of ed members. Um unified sports were the the high school representative did give a shout-out, but I did want to also just uh highlight on April 27th of this year the unified sports program in in Rocky Hill High School and GMS both attended a celebration at AquaTurf uh in uh Plainville and um you know, I've been to a

088few of these awards. My son's graduating this year from high school and has been part of unified sports for many years. So, I've been part of a number of these um celebrations and um this year as a couple years ago GMS got recognized, but this year Rocky Hill High School got recognized and there's a lot of high schools in the state and not all of them have unified sports programs, but many do and only a couple get recognized uh each year for their their excellence. So, um so for unified sports high schools of the year uh Rocky Hill High School was uh recognized as a runner-up in that um award this year which is a really special honor. >> [applause] >> And I'll just say quickly um they have you know, three seasons of sports

089soccer, basketball, uh spring they do cornhole mostly, a little bit of football, uh flag football. Uh they have unified gym class, they have unified arts class. There's a lot of unified stuff going on in the in the district which is great. Uh a special thanks to the coaches is Miss Bergeron who is um finished her last year with uh unified sports this year. So, she's been a coach for many years and and she's uh not doing it again next year. So, sort of retiring from that coaching position. So, thank you to Miss Bergeron, Miss Brzowski as well. Miss Geary, our nurse Geary is always at these events and is a a presence a constant presence at those events. Thank you to our administrators. We had our principal and and our athletic director there and it

090was a great group as well as all the paras. So, I give a shout-out to the paras as well. Para professionals cuz they're huge support of our students and especially that program. And then quickly I will just recognize the Bo Doherty and Mike Savage teammate awards. So teammates from each of the schools get recognized and for GMS and I hope I get these right Sal Pataniac and Nijash Tavares were recognized as the GMS award winners and at the high school was Ellie Harding Wheeler and my son Noah Kosker. So just wanted to give them all a shout out. Thanks so much. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Mr. Kosker. Moving on to our civility awards, we are going to start with Rocky Hill High School and I believe Mr. DeCarli is coming up. Thank you. Good

091evening. More awards and we'll continue the momentum, hopefully. So I want to start out with a couple things before I get to the three winners this this month. We actually had a fourth. We're going to honor them in a different way. There's just so many great things and so many great students that we have. So when the civility program started Mr. Fody was at one of the principals meetings and they were discussing divvying up the civility awards each month. Different schools for different months and things like that. And Mr. Fody said, "You know what? Just put us down for every month." And so he came back and said, "We're going to recognize civility every month." And I said, "Okay." And I knew we wouldn't have trouble filling that. But what I didn't realize was the

092professional and personal level that this has opened for me. So I'm appreciative not just of what our students do, but also appreciative of what I hear. So I get to meet with students that certainly I see in the hallway. I know their name. I might not know their name. They might be a ninth grader that I've just discovered. And then I sit down with them and talk with them and learn all kinds of wonderful things about them. Two of those [clears throat] are here tonight. So, let me just for the We have a big crowd tonight, so I'm just going to read you the award. So, they're going to get a certificate tonight. And what it says related to civility, it says, "Your consistent demonstration of kindness, responsibility, and consideration for others reflects the values

093of our school community. Through your words and actions, you help create a safe, welcoming, and positive environment where everyone feels valued and respected." So, that's what they're going to get tonight, and that's what we're looking to recognize. So, like I said, we have three award winners tonight. I'm going to start with two of them who did although different acts, they were of the same nature. But, they're very different students and special in their own way. The first one is Macy Asadorian. Um So, Macy was unable to be with us this evening because she has a competition for lacrosse tonight in Berlin, but she's certainly deserving of this recognition. She recently found a set of car keys and immediately turned them in so they could be returned to their owner. Simple act, but one that reflects

094honesty, responsibility, and genuine care for others. And certainly for the person that they were returned to, a very valuable return. Anyone who knows Macy knows that this act was completely in her character. She's kind, joyful, and thoughtful in every way. She's an honor student, student of the month at one point this year. And something she's specially proud of, she's maintained perfect attendance, which I know Mr. Fordy appreciates because attendance is quite a task at sometimes at the high school level. Cuz don't forget credit is tied to attendance. That level of commitment and responsibility speaks volumes about her character. Outside of school, she's also an outstanding athlete. She's an excellent golfer who currently participates on the junior tour and hopes to continue playing competitively in college. She works locally at Hayes Farm where she continues to

095represent the same caring and dependable qualities that we see at our school every day. So, congratulations to Macy. Again, she's not here, but we'll give her a round of applause. >> [applause] >> And of a similar act, similar nature, uh we're going to recognize Subhanshu Malik. He's here tonight. He's in the back. He can come up if you'd like. >> [applause] >> So, we're proud to recognize Subhanshu who found and returned an envelope connected to a fundraiser. Once again, this was an act that demonstrated honesty and integrity without his hesitation. How we found out who was responsible was that I was alerted by a staff member who saw him but didn't know who he was. And they found out what he had done. He had returned it to the track coach for their fundraiser. So,

096we said, "Well, how are we going to find out who this is?" Cuz this is kind of a big deal, right? To find an envelope that has money and fundraising in it. So, we watched our school cameras. And while several students walked by the envelope, uh you know, they noticed it. A couple of them gave him some glancing looks at it. It was Subhanshu who eventually stopped, picked it up, recognized what it was, and then brought it to the track coach for which held the fundraiser. Returning something valuable because it is the right thing to do reflects true character. And Subhanshu did exactly that. He's a student with many talents and interests. He participates in outdoor track, works hard academically, and genuinely enjoys studying and learning. And similar to the conversations that Mr. Fody has

097with his students when he wants to talk with them them, I sat with Subancheet and we we spoke. I said, "What other interests do you have?" And he says, "I'm also an artist and I like to paint." I said, "Really? I like to paint." He says, "Really?" I said, "Yeah." I said, "Do you paint with oils?" He says, "No, acrylics. But, I'm excited to begin exploring oils this summer." I said, "Well, how about that?" So, he's isn't starting now because he's getting ready for finals. He says, "There's a lot of work to be done with upcoming finals." In addition to that, he takes piano lessons and continues to challenge himself creatively and academically. What stands out most is his desire to contribute to others. This summer he plans to volunteer both at the library and

098a local doctor's office that needs assistance. His willingness to give his time and energy to help others reflects the spirit of service and responsibility that this award is meant to honor. When asked what he appreciates most about Rock Hill High School, very similar theme going on if you can catch on, Subancheet shares that he values the friendly teachers and staff, as well as the many opportunities and choices available to the students in their education. I thought that was particularly profound because we will certainly celebrate the teachers and we celebrate those that are retiring and those that have given so much. But, what he said struck me was he said the choices that he has for his own education, which I thought was pretty insightful. His willing that appreciation for his community and learning is evident

099in the way that he carries himself every day in both Macy and Subancheet remind us that civility is demonstrated not only through big accomplishments, but through everyday decisions to act with honesty, compassion, and integrity. Both of your actions, both large and small, help create this kind of school community that we all strive to build. One where we all care about each other and what is right to do because it is simply right to do. So, congratulations. >> [applause] >> And I have to add this too when I spoke with him he said, "I don't even remember doing it." I should have mentioned that earlier. So, he really is truly phenomenal. This next student I'm particularly proud to present an award to. Deanna Yumosa Yumosa, she's here. >> [applause] >> So again, keeping in mind that

100this award celebrates kindness, responsibility, respect, and consideration for others. Deanna consistently demonstrates a strong understanding of the difference between right and wrong. She possesses a genuine sense of decency, fairness, and integrity that is evident in her everyday actions. What makes her especially deserving of this award is that her actions are never motivated by a desire to get others in trouble and I'll only explain that in a little bit. Instead, they're guided by compassion, respect, and a sincere concern for the well-being of those around her. So, one day Deanna comes up to me because she noticed in the cafeteria that several students had left their lunch table at the end of lunch and they left some trash behind. And she said to me, she said, "Mr. DeCarli that's not right and it's not fair that the

101custodians have to pick that up." And I was absolutely, you're absolutely right. She understood that their work was already incredibly hard and she also understood that doing the right thing means taking actions and responsibility for her own actions. And those students didn't show responsibility for their own actions. And so, again, her motivation was not to get them in trouble, nor did they get in trouble. It was simply that you knew what the right thing was to do, and that meant a lot when you came up to me to tell me that. On another occasion, Deena informed me that some students were using some inappropriate language toward another student. Again, her concern was not about the consequences or for them to get disciplined. Her concern was that the student was being spoken to in that manner,

102and that she worried that someone could be hurt, have their feelings hurt, or they could be made to feel less valued. That that is civility. That is what we're talking about. So, these moments may seem small to some, but they speak volumes about Deena's character, and I'm extremely proud of you. Beyond the classroom, Deena's been involved in unified sports. She's looking forward to participating again next year. She was very busy this year, wasn't able to participate, but she's certainly looking forward to it next year. She enjoys the friendships that she makes through the program, and the appreciates the support and encouragement that she receives from others, and the help that the staff gives her during that time. She has deep values with her family commitments, enjoys spending time visiting with them. She enjoys fun, and

103I like this. She said, "I enjoy I enjoy listening to music, but good music, like respectable music." Right, good music that can be listened to at school. So, I added fun respectable music. She brings a positive energy to those around her. When asked what she likes about Rocky High School, shocker, she shared that her teachers are the ones that are always helpful and support her to be a good student. I think that answer says a great deal about her gratitude, her and and appreciation for others. So again, when we talk about civility, we often speak about creating a safe, welcoming, and positive environment where everyone feels respected and valued. And by far, DNU exemplifies that commitment each and every day. You represent true respect, empathy, and the understanding that every person deserves dignity and kindness.

104I could be more proud to present this award to you because you are a positive example of our school community. And your actions remind us that civility is not simply about words, but it's about choosing to care for others, stand up for what is right, and help create a community where we all belong. So, congratulations. >> [applause] >> Tina. >> [clears throat] >> Congratulations to our high school civility awards. >> Thank you. Thanks, Mr. DeCarli. I'd love to call up West Hill School. Mrs. Quinn and Ms. Fosher, thank you for coming tonight. Thank you very much. And thank you, Rachel, for your suggestion about an additional field trip for grade two. Noted. Um each month we have 40 students across our school who are recognized for consistently demonstrating respect, kindness, empathy, and inclusivity towards others.

105I'm proud to shine a positive light on two deserving third graders who received this recognition this year at West Hill School. First, I'd like to welcome Camden Galusha. Let's give him a round of applause. >> [applause] >> Camden, also known as Cam, is a leader who consistently sets a positive example for those around him. He is an outstanding role model to his peers, always demonstrating kindness, respect, and responsibility in all that he does. Camden is a true team player who encourages and supports everyone around him, helping others feel included and valued. He consistently follows our expectations, treats others with kindness, and leads by example both inside and outside of the classroom. He always gives his very best effort and approaches every activity with a positive attitude and a strong sense of sportsmanship. His caring nature

106and ability to be a great friend to everyone make him a valued member of our school community. We are so proud of you, Cam. Way to go. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Mr. You're welcome. I'd like to call up Serene Elshamy from third grade as well. >> [applause] >> Serene consistently demonstrates kindness, respect, and compassion toward both her peers and teachers. She comes to school each day with a positive attitude and a readiness to learn, while also encouraging and uplifting those around her. Serene is a true upstander who helps create a welcoming and inclusive classroom environment where everyone feels valued and supported. She looks out for her classmates and consistently makes thoughtful, responsible choices. Serene is deeply committed to her learning and takes pride in doing her best. She's an actively engaged student during lessons,

107participates in classroom discussions and activities, and puts forth strong effort both at school and at home. Her dedication, positivity, and strong character make her a wonderful role model for others. We're very proud of you, Serene. Congratulations. >> [applause] >> Congratulations to all of our winners of our Civility Awards. Thank you so much. I'm moving on to agenda item number five, which is approval of minutes. I'm looking at April 23rd Board of Education meeting, April 28th Board of Education Facilities Committee meeting, April 28th Board of Education Policy Committee meeting, and April 28th Board of Education Special Education Committee meeting. Do we have any additions, deletions, or changes to the minutes? Okay, seeing none. Can I have a motion? So moved. Thank you. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Mr. Clemens. All in favor of

108accepting the approval of the minutes as listed. I. Any opposed? Anyone abstaining? Okay, motion passes. Thank you very much. Um moving on to correspondence number six, Dr. Zito. Yeah, just one uh quick update on correspondence. I want to thank uh Miss Mrs. Minella for reaching out to me uh regarding the um Project Graduation and the uh class parade since 2020. We had the COVID pandemic. Uh the class uh the senior class each year has had a parade through town. Uh the date for that is scheduled for Friday, June 12th. The parade starts at the West Hill School parking lot, goes over to Chapman Avenue. We coordinate that with the police. And I just want to thank uh Project Graduation and Mrs. Minella for reaching out, reminding us to get that scheduled. And I want to

109thank uh Chief Klett and uh Ron LaMontagne, who also assists uh with the organizing everything. So, it's it's a great event and uh kicks it off because it's the Friday night before the Monday graduation. So, the timing is working for that. Did you say a time of day? Yeah, it typically starts at the West Hill parking lot at 6:30. That'll be um Friday evening, June 12th. Thank you, Dr. Zito. Moving on to number seven, that's consent calendar. Um we had an approval of the Sodexo food service contract. However, that is still in conversation right now for that contract, so I'd like a motion to table. Motion to table the approval of the Sodexo food service contract. Do I have a second? Thank you, Ms. Minella and Ms. Morfea. Um all in favor of that motion

110to table. Aye. Aye. Aye. Any abstentions or objections? Okay, very good. Motion passes. And I was trying very hard to get to this presentation and has still have a full house. I'd really like to call up Ms. Antol and um the high school students to talk about the greenhouse and hydroponics. We're so happy to have you tonight. >> [clears throat] >> Hi, I'm Kim Antol, Rockville High School. This is Lianys, Elena, and Terrence, and we're going to take you through the grant, and then the kids are going to like at different points share some information, and then we have some tomatoes and cucumbers to share with you. So, I'm going to go really quick. Um so, we have a botany program at the high school in case you didn't know. We offer an academic or

111general level botany class. We also uh offer the Yukon EC horticulture class. Um the program was started in 1983 by Conrad Zenzian, and it was passed to me in '97, and I've continued that. So, I was encouraged by our um former assistant superintendent to apply for the CT Grown for CT Kids Grant. We received a grant in 2024 for $34,000. And then Matt Tobacco and I got together and schemed up a grant for renovating. And so we received a grant for $74,000 for education, efficiency, and endurance. Because as I explained to the state, we're doing a really great job at the high school. And we just need a little bit of help to like continue doing great things. So our highlights the greenhouses. They added state added stabilization wind braces. They added roll up sides,

112which means the greenhouses are cooler and the kids are way happier in there. But also it allows for better control for growth. New benches that the students you're going to see put together for us cuz they're amazing. And then we have an updated ventilation system with environmental controllers. And then we're celebrating the CT Grown for CT Kids Week. And then we also celebrated with the the teachers. So these are our old greenhouses. They kind of look the same but they have updates. So Juan from Sturba Greenhouses was amazing and he realized our greenhouses were leaning, which I had noticed but he's like no we really need to stabilize this. So he fixed those with wind braces. We have little sides that roll up which basically brings the greenhouse temperature from 120 in the summer to

113like a nice calm 95. And it's cooler you know during the school year. We have new doors, new glazing which is like the covering. So um Then what we did this that that all happened in July and August and then we did CT Grown for CT Kids Week, which essentially you can see my superstars here. They started basil the first day of the of the class and they're like what are we doing? And then they were super excited because stuff was growing. So on October 6th we had a big harvest and we learned safe harvest practices. And the kids were out there they did a great job. Um let's see what else? Uh, we did a farm to table immersion. So, um, Leanne Zenafotos from Sodexo came out and she helps with the kids with

114the, uh, the growing um, in terms of like, okay, this is growing, this looks great. We have to make sure the product is really high quality and now we're going to take it into the classroom and what are we going to do with that? So, she taught the kids about, um, safe serve guidelines, so wearing cut gloves they don't cut their fingers off, which I appreciate cuz we don't want blood in our salsa. And then they got to wear hair nets, which um, my anatomy and physiology class thought was stunning. Um, they made some salsa together and then the kids got to taste what they made. Um, the botany students then proceeded to, um, use the basil that they had grown to make some pesto. Um, so, there are some again, some of my stars

115showing off and tasting. Um, additionally, part of that goal of City Growers for City Kids is to teach kids about farm to table. Um, so, the anatomy and physiology students did a fresh salsa versus processed salsa and I think we only pulled like 300 and something kids, but all but like most of those 300 kids preferred the fresh salsa versus the processed salsa. So, we thought that was kind of a win for us. Um, and then you could see the kids were tasting and they're like, do you think they'll give us seconds? They were all excited and they wanted to take salsa home, which is amazing. Um, the anatomy students also connected health and wellness to farm to school experience. So, they did some research and I let them pick whatever they wanted to do.

116I'm like, hey, do whatever you want to do, make some connections um, and they were amazing with what they did. We also offered a a professional development for the teachers. So, they got a tour of the hydroponics and then the teachers got to take basil plants home and they too made pesto and were super excited and it was delicious. Um, so, we also did renovations and thank you so much to our, uh, facilities manager and our custodians because they ripped apart those awful, horrible old benches that we had, which were super functional but not pretty. Um, and now my students got in there and they started to figure that how to build them. And I didn't know how to build them either. So, we suffered through together, right? So, that was awesome. Um, do you

117want to talk, Terrence, about lettuce harvest? Yeah, I got How do we How do we How do we What did I make you guys do to harvest the lettuce? >> Oh, okay. Okay. Um, so like what we did to harvest the lettuce was um, like we have a hydroponics uh kit that we have that like helps grow like the lettuce itself. Um, That's what we use. Um, And what do you wear What did I make you guys wear on your hands? >> Um, we we also wear um, gloves. It's to keep, you know, the lettuce clean and stuff and keep like, yeah, keep the lettuce clean basically. Absolutely. And then what do we do with our lettuce? We eat it. We made a salad with it. Yeah, and it was fun cuz like a lot

118of kids have never actually grown their own lettuce and then made their own salad. So, that was pretty amazing. Um, and Terrence, what do we do with this stuff? What is all that stuff? Um, this other one The picture on the left is we. The picture on the left is I believe tomatoes. And then then uh I forgot what the middle one was. >> We have cucumbers. Cucumbers. Oh, so also we have cucumbers. Um, And then what do we do What did I make you guys do all the time? Um, we check the uh I forgot the name The EC. What is the EC? What is all that? Electroconductivity. Which is a really big way to say we have to make sure we know how much what is in there. Um, like uh the fertilizer

119in the in the bucket. Yeah, and then the kids make adjustments based on the needs. So, if you look at the plants on the left, they're kind of yellow. And the plants on the right are much more um, green. And then students are responsible for monitoring that and maintaining that by taking the pH and the electroconductivity. And that is a skill that if they wanted to go out into the real world, they'd absolutely be able to to do that. Okay, thank you so much. So, the other kids um, we also follow nutrient schedules. So, there's a a way that they um, that our professionals have figured out how do you grow the most produce, um, and that's what we've been following along. So, we started strawberries, but we've realized those the strawberries aren't super happy

120yet. Um, so strawberries, although started this year, are a little burnt, so they'll get better for next year. So, Laini's going to come and chit-chat about our plant sale. Well, thank you for having me. And our plant sale was a way for to meet people from our community community and be able to sell and meet people and see their different personalities while selling plants. We got to talk to them, we got to greet them. We were able to help them bring the plants to their cars and everything. It was a really good experience to have since I never worked before, and this brought me a real-life scenario of how work and everything, and I thank you for letting me be here and everything. Yeah. Yeah, when you sell the plants in the greenhouse, that's a

121team effort, so the kids are out there with us and and we're all working together, um, trying to figure out how to get the plants to grow, and they have to label, and and it's a learning experience. Like, for me, I've done it for a million years, but I have to remind myself that every year is brand new and exciting for them. I also teamed up with um, Mr. Wozanko this year, and you could see Terrence there as a rockstar selling, and the kids in ceramics made pots, and we put herbs in the pots, and we came together, and we did a little fundraising for the art department for um, their art club, and also for the botanists. So, that was kind of a nice addition. Um, [snorts] the next thing that we're been doing

122is cleaning up because what whatever you grow, you have to obviously clean up. And this is like my my favorite um, favorite picture out of this whole thing. When we first started, we talked about growing produce and so, you know, having the school do it and then bringing it to the food pantry, and so we just delivered our first um, box of cucumbers and tomatoes to the food pantry, which was like super exciting. And then, oddly enough, 4 days later I had enough cucumbers to donate again, and when I went back down the woman from the food pantry said, "Oh, the cucumbers were totally gone and people were really excited to have that." So, I think that's such a gift for me to be able to share that with those people and also to share

123that with the with the kids. Um and we also donate plants to the community garden. Um so, we donated a bunch of boxes of plants and they'll continue when we shut down our greenhouses doing the work to support our community like that. Um and we're also looking forward to completing our grant. So, we have a shed that we still need to purchase. We have to work on the strawberries, and we also have to do um some wiring and some electrical things. I also have Elena here, and Elena is actually an exchange student from Spain, and I just wanted her to briefly share her experience because we've talked over the year in Spain is um education in Spain uh in the US is a little bit different, and so it's been super exciting to talk about

124that with her. Yeah, so um I came here through the year 9 months ago, and when I came into the high school I was surprised to not find not one but four greenhouses in the school, which is something that had never crossed my mind cuz it's something that we would never have in our high schools in Spain. So, I knew that I would have to take that subject, and by now it's been one of my most favorite ones cuz it's just so much fun and we learn so many stuff. And not only we learn about plants, but also we have other experiences such as um the City Grown for City Kids and being able to um make our own pesto and like see the products of the things that we grow, and also having those

125plant sales and see like how people appreciate the things that we put so much effort into. And also that experience of interacting with different people, not on not only focusing on the growing plants, but also on more like the business and the curriculum I think in this subject is um really cool cuz it it it's like really broad and it uh covers um are quite broad um like different topics. And I just think it's it's amazing. I think also Ms. Antal, um, makes the subject really fun and really interactive and amazing. So, yeah, and I think in my class, um, we're all like we're a team, right? So, we support each other. So, um, I think that also makes the experience better. Thank you so much. [applause] We do have a couple cucumbers and tomatoes

126if that's okay. If you would like some. I didn't realize everyone was going to be here or we would have brought more. >> [laughter] >> Ms. Antal, I'm so impressed at everything that you've been able to, um, have up and running and I happened to go in. Um, just so you know, nothing has eaten my lettuce yet. So, my plants are in the ground, but I had that issue with that whatever ate my plants last year. Nothing yet. Everything is growing. Um, my basil is growing. Um, but it was just very impressive to even walk into the greenhouses and see everything, um, up and running and how beautiful everything looked and to your students that came tonight. Thank you so much for sharing with us everything that you've learned. Uh, we are extremely impressed. And

127with that, I am going to take a motion for a 10-minute recess that I know you've all been waiting for. Um, can I have a motion, please? Motion for a 10-minute recess. >> Thank you, Ms. Manella. Second, Mr. Addy. Thank you so much. All in favor. Hi. Very good. 10 minutes. We'll be back. I know. That's what's keeping me happy about >> Mhm. >> I'll do a lot of new. Why right now? All right. And we are back after a very short recess. We are moving on to committee reports number nine curriculum. We have not met since last meeting. There is no report. Number 10 facilities. Um, I just started eating a cucumber, so sorry about that. Um, It's good. Looks really good. Sorry Ron, I wasn't ready. Um, all right, so the the facilities

128committee met on April 28th. Um, there were really two things we talked about. The biggest one was this energy performance conservation program that we're considering. So, we had a presentation by Energia, I think was the name of the company. >> [snorts] >> Um, and the quick gist of the program is they arrange a setup where you can get um, funds, money, um, sort of upfront against future savings for energy conservation. So, you can get money to do some capital projects like lighting, HVAC equipment, certain things that will qualify for energy savings and uh, looking at the future savings on your energy bill. And uh, so anyway, so we had this presentation by them. So, we're looking into it. We're considering it. They're going to be coming back to present to us, I believe, on June

12916th to the combination of the Board of Education and the Town Council. So, combining those kind of savings that are possible across town buildings and facilities as well as school buildings and facilities. So, um, >> [snorts] >> it's sort of a combination of some quick payback items like lights and some kind of longer term doors, windows. So, there's different things we could do. So, we're going to look at the different options to optimize and and hopefully get some funding in a different way. It's a unique way to get some funding for some of our facilities work. So, that was the main piece of the meeting and we also did a little bit of work looking at the CIP uh capital improvement plan um as that is, you know, generally and always in flux and that

130will will be addressing that in the coming weeks, I believe, uh for another facilities meeting to talk and finance meeting, um based on how the budget plays out in the next few days. Thanks. Thank you, Mr. Kosker. Number 11, finance. Finance Committee, um did meet today, May 21st, at 6:15. And uh what we did speak about is the non-lapsing account. And currently, there's state law, Connecticut General Statutes 10-248a, that permits a town Board of Finance to deposit unexpended funds from the education budget into a non-lapsing account. Um so, back in 2023-2024 fiscal year, Section 7 of Public Act 24-25 will allow the local Board of Education to make this deposit. Current restrictions in the law will continue to apply. Um one, that the deposited amount cannot exceed 2% of the prior fiscal year's education budget.

131And two, any expenditures from this account are only made for educational purposes. And three, any expenditure must be authorized by the town's Board of Education. So, um we plan to do a motion later on in this meeting. Very good. Thank you, Ms. Manella. Um number 12, P&N. No report. Number 13, policy. Um the Policy Committee met on April 28th, 2026. We have one item on the agenda, which was to have initial discussions about the non-lapsing account, which we then referred to finance, and you just heard Ms. Manella give a great update on that work. So, >> [clears throat] >> that's all that I have. And your next meeting, I believe, is June 1st. Correct. Thank you. Yep. Uh number 14, special education. Okay, the Special Education committee also met on April 28th. There was a

132bunch of things we discussed. I'm going to just going to highlight some of them very quickly. And a nice presentation and discussion on a lot of items. I'll start off with the seed grant. So, seed grant is some money that the district gets from the state of Connecticut to focused on providing services for students, special education students, in the hopes of keeping them the goal of keeping them in district and not outplacing them. So, Rocky Hill right now is getting 93,000 this year and I believe that's up to 105,000 or so or something like that roughly next year. I think I'm getting a nod from Jesse. So, um we're doing some things staffing-wise this year with special education including well, we're looking to we'll see how the budget shakes out, but special education supervisor, guidance

133counselor, social worker, some things that we're doing to really help out. There's been some great improvements on our time with non-disabled peers. This is a point I want to highlight. It's something I brought up last year and we discussed at length both in committee meetings and here in the full board. So, there's been some different differences in the different schools and time with non-disabled peers is the amount of time that students with disabilities who have an IEP spend with their non-disabled peers in classroom. So, we've done some great things in addressing some issues around that and in improving that. Yeah, let's see what else. Um I'll turn the page just quick. Brian. >> [laughter] >> Um Let's see. Referrals, restraints, seclusion. I think there's some really good work going on on restraints seclusion as well.

134Again, restraints seclusion for those not familiar with it is you know, students may need to be restrained or secluded based on challenges they might be having with behaviors and the goal is of course to reduce and eliminate those and we're doing some great things. Working with Craig Consultants, working with some training of teachers, behavior interventions and stuff. And so, there's some really good work going on there in the the district as well. Um I think that's all I have for tonight and we do not have another meeting scheduled cuz it's the end of the year, so we'll see you each other in the fall. Thank you, Mr. Kosker. Number 15, CR CT Council. Okay, I'll be real quick. Um, yesterday was the 40th anniversary of CR CT um, luncheon at the Bushnell. Um, and also

135uh, probably the biggest thing that came out of the meeting is that the Greater Hartford Academy of the um, arts is close to securing a grant to build a facility. Currently, they're renting out some rooms at uh, the Colt building in Huyshope Avenue. Um, which was exciting for me as a former graduate there where we actually had classes in a former um, funeral home. So, I'm glad to hear that they're getting a >> [laughter] >> uh, building from what we had back in the day. Um, and that's pretty much it. Thank you, Ms. Moffa. Number 16, school safety. We have not met, but I would like to discuss um, putting something on the schedule for an end of the year uh, rundown of from the SROs. If possible. Okay, we will try to find you

136a June meeting. It doesn't have to be June, but [laughter] you know, No, it it's probably going to be June. All right. Um, number 17, technology. >> [clears throat] >> There has been no report. Thank you. And number 18, voice. Um, we have uh, no meeting um, since the last time I reported. However, we do have something scheduled for June 22nd. All right, thank you very much. We have no unfinished business, but we are going to move on to some new business and uh, we're going to start with number 19, which is the non-lapsing account. Um, we do have a Board of Ed vote that is anticipated. Um, do I need to open this up to more discussion from what Ms. Monella had stated or can I move right into a motion? I think We

137good? Okay, beautiful. I'd like to open up to a motion. Motion to establish and authorize use of a non-lapsing education account. Second. >> Yes. Okay. So moved that the Rocky Hill Board of Education direct administration to establish a non-lapsing account in accordance with section 7 of Connecticut's public act 24-45 subject to the following conditions: Deposits into this account cannot exceed 2% of the prior fiscal year's education budget. Any expenditure from this account may only be used for educational purposes and any expenses from the account must be authorized by the Board of Education. Last chance for any other discussion? Oh. So yeah, all right. So I'll have you go back cuz Amber had jumped in and seconded it before the motion was read. That's why it's okay. I'm going to say that we're going to hear

138a second. >> Second. Thank you so much. Okay, last discussion anyone? No, we're good. Oh. I just well just cuz I didn't My mic's not on. There we go. Um again, just to to clarify cuz the motion was read and it was very clear, but it's maybe hard for people that never heard of this before to understand what it is. It's just us opening an account and if I misspeak Dr. Zito, please correct me, but it's just for us ability to open an account. This is not us funding in any way. Future decisions will be made down the road as far as funding this account. Um if there's excess money at the end of the school year next year, we could potentially fund that and put money into this account. Um again, a non-lapsing account.

139So it's not in us doing anything right now in that terms. It's just allowing us the opportunity to maybe do in the future. So I just want to state that. That's all. Thank you, Mr. Cosker. I appreciate that clarification cuz that's very important. Okay, all in favor. I. I. Beautiful. Is there anyone opposed? Anyone abstaining? No, okay, motion passes. Very good. Thank you so much. All right, moving on to agenda item number 20, um which is um the public act uh 26-1 section 9, which is funding for high acuity school-based mental health programming. And um we had listed a presentation by Effective School Solutions. However, they were not able to join us this evening, and so we are going to move that presentation to June. However, um I'd still like to um have uh I

140guess am I starting with Dr. Zito speaking first or Mr. Kosker? Who would like to jump in on discuss? >> the the abbreviated summary or the long summary? I want the abbreviated summary, please. So, Dr. Zito, we're going to lean to you. Go ahead. >> Zito Dr. Zito. I will be brief. I I do want to thank uh Ms. Morfia for kind of fast-tracking a quick meeting, and um she worked with Mr. Kosker, the two of them uh at the direction of Ms. Sullivan. So, thank you for kind of moving along. Just called me early in the week and said, "Get something going quickly." So, Jen and Tom participated with uh Hillary May, who uh is a an advocate for Effective School Solutions. She works up at the state capital, and she has a connection

141with Senator Lesser, who pushed through some very uh exciting legislation. Bottom line is uh five towns are going to be able to get uh well over a million dollars. Uh it's like two and a half million dollars total over of two fiscal years to provide high acuity acuity school-based mental health programming in the schools. The takeaway for Rocky Hill is that in year one, which will start this fall, we will be able to work with uh Effective School Solutions to get two full-time licensed clinical social workers for the Compass program in that we have. Wow. Compass, we will place one person at West Hill and one at Moser. The beauty of this is that it frees up our other support staff to go into what we call kind of a tier three support. So, kid

142the 98% of kids the 99 and a half percent of kids who aren't encompass will get more time with social workers, BCBAs, and so forth because we can put some dedicated high acuity support right into those two programs. So, it was a very good meeting. Um, I think there was a a very good synergy on the on the call with the folks from from ESS. Uh, they are experts at what they're doing. Jesse participated in the meeting along with um Scott was there and Wendy. Annabelle had a conflict. She couldn't make it, but there was you know, our our leadership team basically there plus couple of our board members. I my takeaway was it was great. Um, the next steps will involve um, having the board authorize the administration to enter into a contract for

143services. This is completely funded um, through the legislation from state dollars. And I do want to thank uh, Senator Lesser because uh he was able to push this through with his contacts up in the legislation. It was really a big win for not only for Rocky Hill, but a couple of other towns in our region that are going to be able to bring these supports into the kids. The one of the biggest challenges we have, I'm looking at some of the principals here tonight. You know, I I I get very good over the years at saying no because everybody wants to advocate for their school. I'm the guy that's got to kind of split people up and make decisions. Um, it's hard because every principal advocates for his or her school, but this is going

144to help us get some additional supports across the spectrum by freeing up some people that right now are pretty focused only in those programs. So, it's it's a it's a big win for Rocky Hill. There's your brief summary. Thank you, Dr. Zito. Go ahead. I have a question, Dr. Zito. Um, now that uh, Miss Mrs. uh, Cohen is retiring, so these are two additional >> Yeah, they're additional. These are not This is not to supplant that that's a very important. This is above and beyond and these individuals will not be employed by Rocky Hill Public Schools. Okay. >> They will be employed by Effective School Solutions. >> Okay. They work about 30 minutes beyond the contractual day, these two social workers. >> Okay. For for the school day, and they will There's also a night

145a week where they do family counseling, each one. So, they they will partner with us much like the way SROs are not technically employed by the board, but are an integral part of the school fabric in the schools. These folks will be employed by ESS, but we will have you know, we will be involved in the hiring piece and selecting just like we do right now with the SROs. We're involved when an SRO is brought into the schools, but they will have a separate employer, so they will not be bound by the the teacher contract in terms of hours, and they will be doing a night of family counseling uh one night a week, which is really huge. Uh Berlin has something similar going on right now, and uh I just think this is going

146to be really positive for these families. That's great. Thank you. Jessica >> Can I just I'm sorry. Can I just add just >> I not cover anything I didn't? Cover Yeah, just very briefly. No, he did a great job covering it. I just It's a really interesting program. Again, it's this is helping out really high-need students who take, you know, often a lot of things. It's like 10% of the students take 80% of your energy, right? So, that's really trying to take some of those students that have high needs, high support needs, and helping them out. But, they do offer individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy. Some of these weekly, some of these bi-weekly. Parent caregiver support groups, support groups. Like things that are sort of, you know, tough for a school to do sometimes,

147right? With our staffing, we're really tight on staffing in this area. So, it really is going to increase some of those things. They will also respond to urgent interventions as they're needed. If a student is in some sort of crisis during the school day, they will be there to support them. And again, licensed clinical social workers. So, it's it seems like just a real home run um uh all the way around. And so, yeah. So, that that's all. I just wanted to add those few things, but I think it's going to be great for our schools. Okay, I just wanted to just yes, go ahead. Um that sounds like an amazing program. It's exciting. I believe you said it's for West Hill and for Munger. Yeah. Is there any opportunity for families of Stevens to

148do parent like the family counseling or anything in the evening? I would say probably not right now because what was described to us was that each of these people will have a max caseload of Okay. eight to 10 roughly, maybe 10 kids, and they're going to be focused on those programs. But like I said, the the beauty and Tom alluded to it, too, is it frees up the existing staff. So, for example, right now we have a a social worker who's split between the Compass program at West Hill and the middle school. Mhm. Today I wrote a letter to assign her full-time to the middle school. Oh, excellent. >> more support for the kids at the middle school because the Compass program is getting their own social worker. So, that that it's that kind of

149overflow effect. We have a part-time BCBA right now who only gets a day and a half a week at Stevens. We're going to be able to free her up, and she'll have more time at Stevens because of the additional support we're able to put into Okay. Thank you. >> West Hill. So, that that's a good way to think about it. Um it does kind of spread the wealth to the other buildings. >> Yeah, excellent. Thank you. Uh Ms. Morfea. I just wanted to quickly just again thank Senator Lesser for this because this is something that wasn't offered to all the districts in our in our state. Um and we were one of the districts that was chosen, and we are grateful that he listened to our concerns and what we need and and got this

150legislation passed for us. Go ahead. I just also want to um thank Senator Lesser because um it's just a call just a call to um the state's need for mental health right now across our school districts. And if you don't have children in the district, I don't think people really understand that our children really do need this, especially after a COVID. I feel like hate mental health cases have risen. And um I think this is going to be beneficial for the whole district. Thank you so much. Dr. Nozik, did you have a statement or comment? >> wanted to mention um because we did hear, you know, West Hill and the question about Stevens, you know, is a good one. The because this is working with the Compass program, it does serve the Compass program, although

151housed at West Hill, does have students from both Stevens and West Hill. So So there are Stevens families that will benefit from this as well if their children are in that high needs program. Thank you for that comment. >> And it's positioned at Mooser, too. Okay. So it's another one at Mooser, so. Okay. Thank you. Just one question. Just one clarifying question. Um it says it's a two-year grant. Yeah. So the So what was shared with us yesterday is that the funding is definitely locked in for the first year. They still have to work through some legislative hurdles for the second year. But very optimistic that year two will get, you know, get ironed out. But they were doing I mean, Hillary was very clear about that with us that they're still working through some

152hurdles on year two. Not necessarily obstacles, but just the legislative process. >> Yeah, it was originally this school year and next school year, and they were slow on getting the whole thing rolled out, so this school year kind of didn't really happen. >> initial frustration when I got the information about the bill because I got a call from the Newington superintendent yesterday. >> Cuz they're running the program, right? >> Right. This is coming down the pipe. Yeah. I said the first year, we're just getting this now. The fiscal year ends in six weeks. >> They didn't release the money till like March of this year, so it's it's really >> it into a second year. So I'm I'm pretty sure it's going to go forward. They just got to change some stuff to make it

153the following two years. That's all. Yeah. Thank you. And And the other thing I'll add just if I could, the other part that's really great with this, I think that's going to be beneficial to again students, staff, and everything is those folks that are in in coming in from Effective School Solutions will help train some of our staff, too, and work with our paraprofessionals and others and and Dr. Zito will talk to them about that. So, so that's always needed, right? For some of the paras that come in here, they may or may not have the level of training needed to work with these students with high high needs. Um and that this will be part of what they do, as well. So, there's lots of different components of what they're doing um that are

154going to add value add value to us. So, thanks. Super. Any other questions, comments? >> [clears throat] >> The only other comment was we we've invited them to come to the June board meeting and present. So, they indicated they'll have a representative from Effective School Solutions here at the June meeting. Super. I look forward to hearing more. All right, moving on to agenda item number 21, which is the appointment of the Board of Ed to serve as a search committee to address the interim superintendent successor superintendent, director of human capital and leadership development, and special education supervisor. Um so, this was suggested to us um by a council um that we um appoint uh the Board of Education as a personnel search committee. And so, I need a motion. Motion to appoint the Board of

155Education to serve as a personnel search committee. And I'm going to have you read that motion, and then I'm going to take a second. Okay. >> [clears throat] >> Go ahead. So, move that the Board of Education appoint its members to serve on a personnel search committee in accordance with Connecticut General Statute Section 1-207 for the purpose of conducting search for interim superintendent of schools, director of human capital and leadership development, and special education supervisor. Okay. Now, do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Ms. Morfea. Um is there any discussion from the board? Okay. Um all in favor? I. I. Any opposed? Or abstentions? No. Okay. Motion passes. [clears throat] Thank you very much. Um I will talk a little bit more about this um personnel search committee in my board remarks chairperson's remarks

156at the end. Um The only other thing I did want to say about this is that there does need to be a chair of this committee and um I am going to be serving as the chair of this committee. So, I just wanted to let you know that um in full transparency. Okay. Um moving on to agenda item number 22 interim assistant superintendent for personnel and student services report, Dr. Diaz. Good evening. I would like to begin by sending my heartfelt congratulations to our retiring staff. We are deeply grateful for your dedication and I truly wish you the very best as you begin your next chapter. To our students, you remain the pride and joy of this district. Your achievements continue to impress me and I am so proud of your hard work. I also

157want to offer a special salute to Paul and Thiago for their commitment to the United States Navy. From one Navy mom to you and your families, I send a heartfelt hooah. We are incredibly proud of your choice to serve. >> [clears throat] >> On the administrative front, the human resource office has been exceptionally productive during this hiring season. I am pleased to share that the majority of our staff vacancies resulting from either retirements, resignations, and anticipated positions um have been filled. By initiating our recruitment process early, we successfully attracted a pool of highly qualified candidates. I'm excited to onboard these outstanding professionals who demonstrate the passion and dedication our students and community deserve. And this concludes my report this evening. Mhm. More than happy to answer Any questions for Dr. Diaz? Okay, thank you very

158much. Uh moving on. Oh, go ahead, Ms. Morfa. >> I just wanted to also thank Dr. Diaz for stepping in um as your role as assistant super and now that [clears throat] you're let's go back to principal position. Just wanted to say thanks. She still has one more board meeting. She's not going anywhere yet. >> [laughter] >> Okay. Uh moving on to number 23, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations, Dr. Nozek. All right. Uh thank you very much. Uh a lot of exciting things happening. Um want to congratulate all the teachers that are retiring as well as the students who received their awards. Uh I did get a chance to go to the senior prom and the top 20 dinner and it just it's such an impressive like each time I see the kids interacting

159with the teachers and and the administration, it's just just it fills you full of pride. It's been a a really great month um and it's just continuing on here with all these accolades. Um your report from me uh on the finances uh for the month ending April 30th is included in your board packet. We have the usual suspects as far as um the items that are over. I don't think they've changed at all since the previous month. Um what I did do um and we do have uh a number of items that are uh of some concern that are uh reflecting in deficits. Um I gave you a second uh packet report in tonight. Uh in tonight's um for tonight's board meeting, just looking at the projected financial report, this is really probably more accurate

160in terms of where we're going to land at the end of the year. So, um as you can see through it if you go go it, we're probably projecting a um rough roughly $183,000 surplus at the end of the year, so um that's about 99.67% of our budget, so we're we're right there. Um it's you know, it could vary a little bit. I'm looking at it um pretty much on a weekly basis now. Um the report that you have um the projected [clears throat] financial is actually from May 12th. That's when I uh ran it um and then did the calculations. We um we do have some funds coming in still from excess costs, um but we also have some outgoing larger expenses as well. So, this is kind of where I my best guesstimate

161is right now. We're at about $183,000 um to the good, and um I'll have uh additional information for you. Um we can probably send it out maybe with uh Dr. Zito's um you know, weekly updates maybe every other week or so, just just to give you an idea of where we're going to land um at the end of the year. Thank you, Dr. Nozek. Any questions or >> [clears throat] >> statements for Dr. Nozek? No one has questions. I do have All right. So, I do have one more thing. Um the National School Lunch Program is uh periodically reviewed by the State Department of Education to ensure the district is operating the program in compliance with federal and state requirements. The CSDE was here on site May 5th through the 7th conducting an audit or

162as they like to call it a review. Uh there are two primary types of reviews. Um we were uh participants in both. The administrative review, uh this is a comprehensive review of the overall operation of the school nutrition program. The uh reviewers examine areas such as meal patterns, uh nutritional compliance, meal counting and claim procedures, free reduced meal eligibility determinations, food safety, civil rights compliance, wellness policy implementation, financial management of the food service program, and staff training and professional standards. We also participated in the procurement review, and this review focuses on purchasing practices and the use of federal nutrition funds. Uh the reviewers examined purchasing and bidding procedures, vendor quotes, bid documentation, contract management renewals, compliance with federal procurement regulations, use of food service funds, Buy American compliance, conflict of interest and code of conduct

163policies, and record keeping and documentation supporting purchases. Together, these reviews help ensure the district is operating the nutritional program responsibly, transparently, and in accordance with federal and state regulations. I'm pleased to report that the reviews went very well. Jennifer Bove, the lead reviewer, wrote the following after our exit interview. It was a pleasure visiting Rocky Hill Public Schools. All staff were welcoming, engaged, and responsive. The district did a great job compiling all the required documentation, and their organization and attention to detail were greatly appreciated. It should be noted that the food service director, central office secretary, and assistant superintendent are all new, and it was impressive to see their commitment to understanding all the regulations and operating a compliant, well-run food service department. They were eager to learn and responsive to all feedback, and it

164was clear they had spent great deal of time learning their roles and working together to make this a successful review. I enjoyed visiting Moser School. That was their on-site um visit, and spending time with the food service team there, who did a great job servicing students with care and kindness. It was wonderful to see the close and respectful interactions between the staff and the students. They are a great team, and their care and dedication to the students in the program are evident. Thank you to the entire food service team for all you do. A hungry child cannot learn and there's no more important job in our schools than nursing children so they are ready and able to learn. And that was from Jen Bove. That being said, we have five items to address from the

165procurement review and about a dozen items from the administrative review to correct and submit. One of which will be brought to you through the upcoming policy subcommittee as one of the corrections involves adding some language to our meal charging policy. So that those are the types of things that they look at and any changes like that I'll bring to you. I think we have one in early June. And so I've already created a draft the needed language and we'll share that then. >> [clears throat] >> Very good. Thank you. Any other questions or concerns? All right. Very good. Thank you so much Dr. Nozak. Moving on to agenda item number 24, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Ms. Durand. Good evening, everyone. It truly is the most wonderful time of year in a school district

166and much of my report [clears throat] is to highlight the wonderful things. So I'll start with the fact that May was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and honor our dedicated educators for Teacher Appreciation Week. Each school in our district received a special breakfast provided by the Board of Education. And on behalf of our entire district, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the board for your continuous and generous support of Teacher Appreciation Week. Also, the Teacher of the Year process is well underway and represents a special time of year for our staff. Each school has been has selected their building Teacher of the Year. And these exceptional educators will be formally acknowledged at the June Board of Education meeting by their respective principals. Additionally, our district selection committee will be meeting on June 1st to determine

167our district teacher of the year. This recognition celebrates the outstanding dedication our teachers demonstrate to our students and families throughout the school year. We are also pleased to report that the district has successfully completed our smarter balanced and next generation science assessments for the 25-26 school year by the end of this week. Schools are currently working on completing our DIBELS state reading assessments, I-Ready testing for reading and math, and high school AP testing. The staff members will be meeting with their evaluators to review their end-of-year evaluations between now and the end of the school year. These sessions will provide valuable opportunities for teachers to showcase their professional growth and new learning throughout the year, share the action steps that they took undertook to achieve their professional goals, and reflect on their contributions to student success.

168This will be the end of our second year in the new evaluation system that focuses less on student performance and more on educator learning and growth. I'm actively working to complete and submit reports and evaluations for all state and federal grants overseen by the curriculum office. These submissions are due within the next few weeks and are essential to maintaining our grant funding and accountability requirements. In closing, I would like to recognize and acknowledge our staff who were honored earlier this evening on their well-deserved retirements. Listening to the impact that each of them has had on our students and families is a testament to the dedication that our staff brings each and every day. I want to thank each of them for their positive impact that they have made over their combined years of service. I'd

169also like to acknowledge all of the incredible students who were recognized this evening. They exemplify [clears throat] what makes Rocky Hill so incredible. And lastly, I want to thank our two Rocky Hill High School students, Paul and Thiago, who will be serving our country. >> [snorts] >> Truly, Rocky Hill is a special place, and tonight's board meeting really exemplified that. So, um I I was really just blown away um by everyone who was recognized this evening. So, if there are any questions, I'm happy to take them now. I have just one. Um who do we give credit to for uh organizing the breakfast for each of the buildings for teacher appreciation? That would be Sandy. >> I figured it was Sandy. Sandy, I just want to let you know I received numerous emails from teachers

170thanking [clears throat] us for a beautiful spread. And I just want to thank you for taking care of our teachers on behalf of the board. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Any other questions? Okay. Very good. Thanks, Mr. Rand. All right. Moving on to Superintendent's Report, Dr. Zito. Thank you. Uh you know, most of the points have already been made. Uh I'll just echo Wendy's sentiments and also Annabelle's and uh Scott's as well. It's, you know, principals are all here tonight. Uh this district has a lot to be proud of. We've really good families in Rocky Hill. Uh you saw um kids who kind of represent all of our students, a big cross-section of of kids uh throughout the grade levels. Uh Great speakers, high achievers, good citizens. Very important. Uh speaks a

171lot about their families, but it also speaks a lot about the support that they get in the schools from the staff here in Rocky Hill, and about your support as as board. Uh it's a special town. It's a it's a special community. Um you know, the retirees, uh I'm proud of them and uh I I think I'm going to be leaving with most of these people too at the same time. So, uh it's a great group. Um you heard some, you know, people that really really have put their heart and soul into this school district for many many many years. Uh talent uh talented people, great people, and uh I wish them all well. Um a couple of other just kind of quick items. We I talked to Mr. Alfredo. Uh we need to have

172a special meeting um on June 1st. And we're going to back that up with a policy meeting, which we already have scheduled that evening. The purpose of that special meeting is to do, if you remember last year in early June, we had a special meeting to talk about the reduction. So, the town council adopted our budget uh about 8.5 something percent. So, it's a cut of $250,000. Uh we will come in with a recommended plan just like we did last year with a goal of minimizing disruptions to the board's I think uh you know, given the the fact that we have a pretty decent balance coming down the pike, that that might like we did last year we will come to the board with an idea of about pre-spending and looking at other ways so

173that we can't so that we can minimize any impacts on staffing. I'll try to eliminate impacts on staffing. So, that that'll be presented to the board and obviously you'll make the final decisions at the special meeting. Um if you followed along with the budget process, the CIP recommended by the town manager was for 500,000. The council reduced that as well by 200,000. So, the second item for that special meeting will be to look at the $300,000 CIP and other funding. We know uh there's a possibility of money coming in for kind of a Steven school kind of a nebulous project, $80,000 for West Hill to do some work over there. Ron um has identified about $129,000 for drip funding. So, there's a variety of buckets of money that are earmarked strictly for facilities. So, what

174I'd like to do on June 1st when we meet is is get the the plan locked in on how we're going to deal with the $250,000 reduction and lock in a plan on how we plan to spend the money moving forward. I think it's important to accomplish that that evening. So, I apologize for adding all these meetings. Jess and I are pretty much texting at at least every other day with other assignments and responsibilities and meetings that we need to deal with. So, but that that's an important thing to get that done because it helps us lock our our staffing plan into place cuz there's a lot of moving parts. I don't think um the $250,000 reduction is going to have a major impact on on staffing because I think we can accomplish it without

175disrupting the board's plan, which I think is a good thing. In terms of um other kind of dates coming up quickly, June 10th is the middle school eighth grade uh celebration at the high school. Uh that's a great opportunity every year as those kids get ready for high school. Uh we talked already about the the car parade, which we again Maria, thanks for reaching out because Chief Klotz was great. I was, you know, he's like, "Hey, this is good." I I said, "Yep." I I said to him, "I think this is a tradition that's never going to go away. It started in COVID and every single class since has wanted their car parade." But like like Chief Klotz said, it's an easy lift for the town. It's a half an hour. The kids decorate their

176cars. They they leave from West Hill, they they end up at Chapin. It's safe, it's fun. People line the streets. So, that's set that's set for that evening. And then um the big night is graduation for the high school seniors on Monday, June 15th. So, uh and again, a special uh shout out to uh Tiago Pereira and Paul Cristalli. That's uh Paul Paul's uncle was my next door neighbor for many years. Uh very proud of that kid. And um that military commitment is is awesome for those two. So, Our goes out to them, but uh great meeting tonight. The last meeting in uh of the the big meeting in May is always the best one of the year in terms of recognizing kids, so thank you. Thank you, Dr. Zito. All right. Uh the last

177agenda item is uh my board report, and there are a few items that I wanted to just touch base about. Um and so I will speak as fast as I can because I'm looking at the clock. Um so certainly tonight was filled with celebration and pride. I'm echoing what everyone else has said tonight from recognizing our retiring educators whose years of dedication have shaped generations of students to celebrating the accomplishments of our middle school and high school students. We're reminded of what makes Rocky Hill Public Schools so very special. These achievements by both students and staff reflect the strength of our district. A special acknowledgement tonight does go to our high school students entering military service in the Navy, and that is especially meaningful. As the daughter of a Navy serviceman, I deeply appreciate the

178commitment and sacrifice that service represents. We thank you for continuing to learn and lead through military service, and we are grateful for your willingness to serve our country. Our thoughts and prayers will be with you as you begin this important journey in just a few short months. As was stated before by Ms. Durand, um it was Teacher Appreciation Month uh well, week at the beginning of May, and May is always a very busy and exciting month. We had proms, concerts, the 8th grade dance. We also had Pause for a Cause, which was a new fundraiser at GMS that was held alongside the spring art show, the Top 20 Dinner for the Rocky Hill High School seniors, and the Rocky Hill High School Music Department Concert and Art Show. Not to mention numerous sports events. Our

179students continue to impress us with their talent, their creativity, and their leadership. We are also incredibly proud of the Rocky Hill High School Drama Club who just received six Halo Award nominations for their production of The Little Mermaid with the awards taking place next week in Waterbury at the Palace Theatre. So, I'm hoping they come home with some Halos this year. Equally deserving of recognition are the staff members who dedicate countless hours beyond the school day to make these experiences possible. Take for instance, more than 30 teachers participated in organizing the pause for our cause. And thanks to Miss Gouda and Miss Mitova and the unified arts teachers at GMS, they raised $816 that was donated to local animal shelters. Across the district, I have heard and seen so many other teachers have volunteered their

180time to chaperone dances, proms, concerts, and student events. Not to mention the numerous sports events where they have cheered our students on from the sidelines. These responsibilities are not contractual obligations. They are acts of commitment and care and I think we heard that over and over from every student that came up here tonight. The Rocky Hill staff consistently show up for students because they believe in supporting them every step of the way. And that support is especially evident when students speak about their teachers who have influenced their educational journeys as graduating seniors. Board members, Miss Minella, Mr. Kosker, Mr. Shabra, and Mr. Clemens and I had the privilege of hearing those heartfelt reflections during the top 20 dinner presentation on Monday evening. Thank you, Rocky Hill teachers, for always giving 110% in our district. We

181appreciate you. Switching gears, I'd like to also briefly address the operating budget that was recently approved by the town council at an 8.53 increase down from the original request of an 8.9% This year's budget reflects the need to address years of deferred investment in essential services and infrastructure. Many areas have been funded below sustainable levels for too long. And responsible action could no longer be postponed. This is a corrective budget focused on right-sizing and stabilization, not establishing a new annual trend of increases. The investments made this year are intended to strengthen operations, address long-standing needs, which hope to prevent an even greater cost in the future. Responsible budgeting doesn't mean cutting. It means addressing challenges before they become crises. And right-sizing now positions the Board of Education for a more stable and predictable budgeting moving

182forward. Earlier this evening, the Board voted to serve as the personnel search committee for four positions. I'd like to address the interim superintendent and the future superintendent of the Rocky Hill Public Schools. In the coming months, the Board will begin this important work starting with the selection of a search consultant. And once selected, the consultant will engage stakeholders, including families, staff, administrators, and students through focus groups and community input sessions. Board members will also sign confidentiality pledges right after this meeting, very quickly, to protect the integrity of the process and the privacy of potential candidates. While portions of the search must remain confidential, the community and district staff will continue to to periodic updates from me through board meetings, town council meetings, and parent square as the process moves forward. And lastly, I would like

183to congratulate Mr. Keith Traynor, who, along with his wife, recently recei- received the prestigious Sondheim Award. For those unfamiliar, the Sondheim Awards celebrate excellence in high school musical theater. Receiving one of these is comparable to earning a Tony Award. It is a tremendous honor, and by no means and is not an easy accomplishment. Although Keith and his wife directed and produced Anastasia in another district, I did want to recognize and congratulate him on this outstanding achievement. And with that, is there anything else that the board would like to say before we adjourn? No, unless you want to head No, we're good. I know we're getting very close to the time. Okay, so, can I have a motion to adjourn? Motion to adjourn. Thank you, Ms. Manella. Can I have a second? Second. Okay, thank you,

184Ms. Morfea. All in favor? I. Any opposed?