Board of Education - April 23 , 2026

001[music] >> Mhm. >> Good evening. Um, sorry for the delay. Uh, I am going to call our meeting to order uh, for this evening's Board of Education. It is April 23rd. It is 7:08. And um, our first agenda item is a pledge of allegiance. Do I have a student who would be willing to lead us in the pledge of allegiance? Yeah, come on up. Can you come right up to the microphone? >> Little one wins. Sorry. >> [laughter and clears throat] >> Yeah. That's I love it. Thank you so much. Please stand. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you so much. >> Special. I like that. >>

002All right. So, [clears throat] um I have to do something right now that I hate doing and that is to amend our agenda, um which is a >> [laughter] >> Um I need a motion to move our special recognition, um uh which is agenda item number two down to 4A. Can I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Thank you, Ms. Judanowetz. Can I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Mrs. Manella. Um we're going to move our special recognition down to 4A. So, we are going to move to agenda item number three and that is audience participation. Uh this portion of the meeting is open to the public. Um and the uh we do ask that you limit your comments to 2 minutes on any topic. Could you please come up to the

003microphone and identify yourself and where you live? Is there anyone that wishes to address the board? Okay. I'm seeing no one. I'm going to move on to our report for student representatives and we have members of our high school student council who will report on high school uh Rocky Hill High School. Hi. Good evening. >> Good evening, members of the board and community members. My name is Janvi Patel. I am the student rep for the high school and today I'll be sharing some recent updates from our school community. Our April On April 1st, many of our students took the SAT. This is an important milestone for juniors reflecting the hard work and prep they've been putting in the past few months as they begin planning for their futures. On April 2nd, our National Art Honor

004Society hosted a paint night fundraiser. This event replaced the Holi fundraiser we've done in the past few years and was held to raise money for a scholarship that will be awarded to a senior contributing their education in art. Beyond fundraising, it was also a great way to bring the art into community by by giving people who don't typically create art the opportunity to participate. Attendees were guided by NAHS officers, which made the experience fun and relaxing. They also included pizza, drinks, and door prizes, which helped create an enjoyable environment while raising a strong amount of money for the scholarship. On April 8th, our school hosted a blood drive. Students and staff came together to support a meaningful cause, and it was especially impactful to see this level of participation on a busy school day. During

005the week of April 6th to April 10th, we celebrated spring spirit week. Each day brought a different theme that encouraged school-wide participation. Monday was safari day, Tuesday was generations day, which each grade dressed as a different stage of life. Wednesday was sports day, and Thursday was country western versus country club, and Friday was terrier pride day, where students wore student school colors. Overall, the week brought a lot of energy. Also, on April 10th, we held a career fair during extended advisory period. Students had the opportunity to explore a wide range of careers through interactive stations. This gives students a chance to connect with the professionals and think more about their future paths. Overall, it's been a very active and engaging time at our school. Students continues to continue to stay involved both academically and within

006the community, and we're looking forward to see what's ahead. Thank you for your time and have a good evening. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> Moving on, we have also student representatives from Stephen School here to talk tonight as well. So, come on up. >> Does this one work? Does this work? Wrong. Okay, Jeremy. Come over here, Jeremy. Try me. We're good here. Rocky Hill Board of Education. I'm Charvi Gatton Reddy. >> And I'm Reagan Lynette. We are third graders from Steven School. >> We would like to share some of the exciting events that have been happening at our school since January. >> In January, we focused on the theme of empathy. We all listened to the book Stand in My Shoes and created our own shoes. We learned the importance of understanding others' feelings

007and experiences. Check out our shoes. >> We filled our whole school bucket and earned a PAWS parade. We all walked through the halls while listening to music. It was a lot of fun. >> On February 3rd, CAS held the the 26th annual elementary arts banquet. Congratulations again to Finn Kovol, who was recognized for art, and Victoria Olgo for music. >> On February 4th, we participated in the Global School Day of Play. We had a great time playing games, making crafts, and enjoyed learning through fun and being creative together. >> Steven Student Council headed held [snorts] a winter clothing drive to support those in need in the Rocky Hill community. Thank you to all the families who donated items. >> We also celebrated Random Act of Kindness Week. We had a themed spirit days. Students wore

008yellow, crazy socks, sports attire, and red or pink. We talked about why being kind is important, ways to spread kindness, and how to make being kind is a daily habit. We also celebrated the 100th day of school. >> The third graders put on a Wait. Check it out Check out our kindness chain, which was put together by our student council. Students of C's received links anytime they were kind. I think they did great and a lot of kindness throughout Stevens. >> On February 27th, we celebrated International Fashion Day. It was amazing to see creativity and cultural pride from our classmates and other students. >> These are pictures from our Someone Special Dance. There was a lot of dancing pictures taken and time with friends. A great time was had by all. >> We celebrated Read

009Across America Week with a fun spirit week. Students dressed in mismatched clothes, great cozy sweats, our best including metals and bow ties and shirts that made us smile. >> We had many guest readers come to Stevens throughout the week to read to all the classes. We like to thank all of them for taking time out of their busy schedules to read to us. >> We had a family engagement day on March 5th. Each grade level had their own activity based on a Jerry Johnson book and parents helped their child complete it. We hope parents had fun. >> Mrs. O'Brien, our music teacher, was chosen for a grant by Arts for Learning Connecticut. She worked with Miss Luna to teach second graders about Mexican music and culture. Each class had four practices to learn a different

010dance. The final performance was in front of the parents and community members. >> Mr. Thompson came back for another great civility assembly. He talked to all of us about ways to uplift someone when feeling down or being treated unfairly, promoting kindness and being safe online. Civility champions were selected and received a Harlem Wizards jersey. >> [clears throat] >> The third graders put on a musical performance for the whole school and the families called The Day the Queens Quit, a spring concert extravaganza. Each class class had their own special part in the performance. We had fun and thank you to Mrs. O'Brien for all her time and creativity in putting on another great show at Stevens. >> Some students joined the Lexia Learning Club and came three days a week to work on reading. We also

011have some second grader students who have joined the Crazy 8s math club. They make shapes out of glow sticks. >> Before break, we had a glow dance. This was our final activity to raise money for our school booster fund. Our goal was to raise $18,000 and we raised $25,585.05. We are excited to get new basketball hoops, playground benches, and books for our vending machine. Thank you to everyone who donated and made our fundraiser a success. >> This week we had our art show that showcased artwork from every student at Stevens. During art, we look at artwork from every grade and picked one piece we really liked. We wrote compliments to show kindness and celebrated everyone's creativity. We are thankful for Ms. Miller who decorated our hallways, has taught us all about art, and allowed us

012to be creative. >> Thank you for letting us share the great things happening at Steven School. We are looking forward to the rest of the school year, especially the obstacle course and field day. >> [applause] >> Great job, Steven School friends. Wow, it's always so very hard to come up to the podium, but you did an excellent job, and we really love listening to all of the wonderful things going on in our schools. Moving on to agenda item number four, we have district celebrations, and we're going to start with the Civility Awards for Rocky Hill High School. Hello, Mr. Jacaruso. How are you? >> I got to raise this a little bit. All right. That's a tough act to follow, I'll tell you. I'm well, thank you. One of my favorite nights of each month

013is our Civility Awards. We [snorts] have two tonight. Uh the first one is going to be Athena Perez. It is my honor to present this month's Civility Award to Athena Perez, a student who exemplifies the very best of our school community through her integrity, compassion, and quiet leadership. Athena is being recognized for an act that may seem simple on the surface, but it speaks volume about her character. When she found a lost wallet belonging to another student, she chose to turn it into the main office so it could be returned to its rightful owner, intact with everything inside, including the cash. In a moment where it might have been easy to look the other way, Athena demonstrated honesty and empathy. If we place ourselves in that situation, losing something as personal as a wallet, we

014quickly realize how meaningful her decision truly was. I always think about replacing my license, replacing my credit cards, you know, the cash would be nice to get back, but these are big things that take a lot of time and are and end up making a big deal. She didn't just return an item, she returned peace of mind and trust. Athena's actions in this moment are consistent with who she is every day. She's an active member of the student athletic advisory board and the youth Alzheimer's leadership committee, giving her time to both school and community causes. As a dedicated member of our girls soccer team, Athena faced a significant setback with an aggressive ACL tear and her LCL coming off the bone, resulting in a 6-hour surgery. Yet, even through that challenge, she has remained a

015source of positivity. Constantly upbeat, she's always smiling. See, she's smiling right now. And welcoming to those around her. It should be no surprise that her future plans involve becoming a reconstructive surgeon. A future dedicated to helping others in their toughest moments. Beyond athletics, she contributes to our school as a summer learning assistant teacher and volunteers her free time to support our science labs. In her neighborhood, she's known not just as a reliable dog walker, but as someone with a rare ability to connect, even with a fragile adopted dog that trusts no one else. It's often said that character is revealed in the small moments, and Athena shows us time and again what it means to lead with kindness, responsibility, and care. Athena Perez truly embodies the spirit of this award. >> [applause] >> Our second

016award winner, it's my privilege to recognize Addison Serio as the other recipient for this month's civility award. A student whose actions consistently reflect kindness, responsibility, and an unwavering commitment to others. Addison's dedication to inclusion and respect is not something that appears only in isolated moments. It is woven into everything she does. Since 7th grade, she's been actively involved in our unified sports programs, building meaningful connections and ensuring that every participant feels valued and supported. Most recently, during unified basketball event at Mohegan Sun against Bristol Central, Addison stood out as a steady and compassionate presence, prioritizing in the safety, enjoyment, and dignity of every student on the court. Her actions reflect a deep understanding that true civility means lifting others up and creating spaces where everyone belongs. Addison's passion for supporting individuals with special needs extends

017far beyond athletics. Through her involvement with peers with disabilities, the Youth Leadership Summit, and her volunteer work with Lend-A-Paw, she has demonstrated both leadership and heart in service to her community. She has earned numerous recognitions, including the Michaels Cup Athlete and Partner Award, Outstanding Partner Award, Exemplary Unified Teammate Award, Coaches Award for Unified, and the Walter Avery Schinon Award. Each one a testament to her character and impact. Whether in school, at work, or even in the community spaces she frequents, Addison brings the same level of compassion and dedication. It is no surprise that she plans to pursue a career a future, excuse me, in special education through Yukon's accelerated master's program. Addison embodies the spirit of this award, reminding us all that civility is not just about how we act, but about how we chose

018how we choose to care for one another every single day. Congratulations, Addison. >> [applause] [applause] >> Thank you. >> Congratulations to our Rockville High School Civility Awards winners. Um, moving on to our Stevens School Civility Awards, Miss Caldado. All right. I'm going to do this a little different. I'm actually going to ask my first recipient of Andrew Orache to please actually come stand with me. The first recipient is Andrew Orache, who is a first-grade student who consistently demonstrates what it means to be a respectful, responsible, and caring not just in big moments, but in the small everyday choices that he makes. He leads by example and shows a genuine awareness of those around him. His teacher, Miss Calcagni, shared a moment that really stood out while he was serving as the line leader. Andrew intentionally

019slowed his pace so a classmate could stay with the group. It was a simple act, but one that speaks volume about his empathy and thoughtfulness. This is an example of a moment we hope for and work to cultivate at Stevens, in which students look out for one another and understand that how we treat others matters. Andrew is a wonderful example for his peers at even at such a young age. He has a positive presence in our school community and the care he shows towards others does not go unnoticed. We are incredibly proud of him and grateful to his family and teachers for supporting the development of such a strong character. Congratulations, Andrew. >> [applause] [applause] >> The second student I'm going to call up here is Anav Jose. >> Ready. Okay. >> Anav is a

020second grader who is consistently kind and respectful to everyone, both peers and adults, and that is simply who he is each and every day. He approaches school with a positive attitude and always gives his best effort, no matter the task. One example that reflects the kind of person Anav is is how he naturally checks in on his classmates and offers help without being asked, whether it's making sure someone understands the directions or including others during partner or group work. These everyday actions show a genuine care for those around him. What makes Anav so deserving of this recognition is that you can count on him to do the right thing, to treat others with respect, and to bring a sense of positivity to those around him. At Stevens, these traits make a powerful impact and students

021like Anav help create a community where everyone feels valued. We are very proud of him and appreciative of the role of his family and teachers that they have played in nurturing these great qualities. Congratulations, Anav. >> Congratulations. Congratulations. Awesome job. >> [applause] >> Thank you. >> Congratulations to our civility winners for the Stevens School. Um >> [clears throat] >> I want to thank the four students who uh we just heard about for being true leaders in our community and in our schools. Thank you so much. Moving on, um the next agenda item here is a recognition for our Rocky Hill High School girls basketball team on their incredible season. And I know I had asked a board member if they would like to also speak. So, Miss um Mr. Fotie, would you like to speak

022first and then I have I know that there are comments up here because we have board members that are that really love this section of our agenda when we're talking about district celebrations. So, Mr. Fotie, we'll give you the microphone first and then would that be okay with you if we chime in? >> I'll be talking a lot tonight, I think. Jamie's here and can't wait to hear me speak, so. >> [laughter] >> Uh first of all, I want to Andrew, you have the best haircut I've ever seen. Just want to tell you right now. I'm going to I'm going to try, but your haircut's outstanding. Congratulations on your award. >> [clears throat] >> So, let me just uh find my notes, get my glasses, I'm ready to go, talk about all the good stuff

023going on. Well, first of all, I'm extremely proud to be the principal of Rocky Hill High School. Um you've probably heard me say many times that my whole entire mission is that uh this school is the pride of the entire community. And um I think, you know, you've seen tonight we just we have not only superstars at our school, but we have superstars everywhere. So, hopefully what I can do is paint a little uh more of a positive light on some of the great things that are happening. So, as I Someone told me tonight to use your phone and then you don't have to carry the papers, but um that means I have to use this thing called the search bar. And um it doesn't go where it usually supposed to go. So, yeah yeah,

024it might not be a bad idea. >> Help him out. >> Um so, the girls basketball team um I mean, I I there's so many things I can say. I I think I pretty much went to every basketball game that I could go to, but um I want to tell you that the girls basketball team um had a special group of young women represent our school. And um not only are they special players, they're also very special people. And um I was very fortunate my role I get to see them as young women. And um that was really special for me. I I didn't look at them this year as basketball players other than when I watched them play. And I with my conversation with them I really try to talk to them about them

025as people because I also wanted them to know that that's more important and that you know it unfortunately sports does end. Um, but I want to embrace our coaches, Mr. Azzadori and Mr. Dudis for what they were able to do with these young ladies for 4 years. And um what they were able to do with for our community and also our community for them. Will be something that they'll remember all the time. Um, having gone to the state championship >> and losing twice. >> Um >> [snorts] >> I don't remember the game, but I definitely remember all those parts of the journey. And in my conversation, even though it was heartbreaking that they it didn't go the way they wanted at the end, um I tried to remind them that uh they'll remember those those

026moments for the rest of their life. And um and uh I just kind of want to recap a little bit. They uh had the best record that the girls basketball team has ever had. They were able to beat powerhouses on Ferris CIAC. I have to talk to them about, you know, who we play and schools with 15, 16, 17 hundred kids, but we were able to embarrass some teams and beat them pretty well that are much bigger than us. Um, some of those schools that we played this year were Southington. We played uh New London, which was really talented. Notre Dame Prep. We were able to beat a lot of good teams. Um, I'm very proud to say that um our four seniors uh Ari Daily, Maddie O'Regan, Katie Harding, Kelsey Lemay. Um, they're all

027going to be going on to college, good schools. Uh, Kelsey and Katie will be playing basketball and Maddie will be playing soccer. Um, Ari, we've been trying to convince to play cuz she's good enough, but um, she wants to go to a big school and enjoys joy uh, the uh, environment of school. And so, um, the only other thing I wanted to to kind of mention about the girls team is that you know, they were both thousand point scorers. They also um, achieved a lot of other things. And um, it's going to be uh, a big challenge for our team to uh, to get to that same level next year. Also wanted to recognize some other supporters that were really im- important to our success was um, Jill Robidoux. Um, uh, no, Ridou, sorry. Jill

028Ridou and and her um, and her performances this year. And also um, uh, Isabella Tucker for her big shots to propel us when we needed it. Uh, obviously there's other players that were so very supportive in those roles, but um, again I think that those individuals um, were the main contributors for our team. And so, again I want to thank the coaches and um, you know, they uh, going to have to work hard to get where they need to be next year. So, did you want to speak, Mr. Cascar? >> Yeah, just a couple quick words. Thank you uh, Mr. Foti. Thank you, Jess. Um, again, I was also at most all the games this year, home and away, then going to most of the home games for three or four years now with my

029son, Noah. Most of you in this room or many of them in this room know Noah. And he was a super fan. And the girls were again to your point of the record is the record. They're 25 and three. They're in the the finals for the CCC championship, final state championship. Amazing year. But the way they embraced my son, the community, was amazing. It was really really be They included Noah um, and and again shout out to Addison for the award she got tonight. But it really they the girls this group of girls was really great in so many ways beyond the success on the court and and let me tell you that that gym was full home and away everywhere. The community it's really a shout out to the community as well cuz we

030had a lot of support in those games. Those stands were full. We filled up sections at Waheela and son. So it was it was a great season a great success on the on the court but also just for us and for me personally it was an awesome and great experience. And my son's graduating as well with these seniors so it's been really special for us. So thank you to to the team and to everyone. So thanks. >> Do you just want me to keep going on cuz I'm >> No, I would just like to simply say that um I want to say that our girls really truly represented our district with pride and we couldn't be more incredibly grateful for their efforts this year and um they they just did a phenomenal job. So thank

031you Mr. Cosker. Thank you Mr. Fody. Um and then yes Mr. Fody are you staying up to talk about the drama production of The Little Mermaid? >> Yes, I am. >> Okay, I also have a few words after that so I'm going to let you go first. >> So um I'll just get Okay, so um The Little Mermaid which is led by Jillian Freetag who um Wow, she um she was so powerful for the production and her planning thoughtfulness as she promoted this event starting at a professional development day where she had all the the students perform a little skit and then after she was masterful in her thinking in of having the students um what answer questions about being a performer. So, not only do we get to get excited about their talents, we

032got to actually, you know, kind of dive into, you know, what it is to be a performer. Um I always wondered like how they remembered all their lines, you know, and I'd ask the kids and like, "Does the mic tell you what to say?" And they're like, "No, we have to memorize them." I'm like, "I I I I I forget after five words." But, um it was just really cool to get to know the kids on a different level and and uh you know, how passionate they are in their sport. You know, and it was really, really just an awesome day. Um Mr. Ram was a super job um coordinating that and having them uh be there because um I I know it helped, right? Good marketing. Um we had over 4 500 people on

033opening night. Um and and so uh it just uh led for a lot of enthusiasm for the weekend. So, what I what I wanted to do was to give her uh Ms. Rettig her props, but also um you know, thank our students. Um I hope that they uh they felt as good um doing what they did as I I felt for them uh being able to showcase their talents. Um I talked to Jillian uh before cuz I wanted to make sure if there's anything that she wanted me to mention. And we talked about and again, Ms. LaFrese, you can add in too cuz you might even know a bit more, but they were just nominated for the Is it the Sondheim Awards? >> Correct. >> on May 9th. Um they are up for the achievement

034in costume design um and achievement in scenic design. So, Madeleine Sawyer and Juliana Gway. >> Yes. >> Um and we are also waiting to hear uh regarding the Halo Awards in a couple weeks. >> Correct. >> So, um you know, just just an awesome production. Um I uh I told the kids in next time I'm like, I I'd rather see you guys and pay tickets than go to the Bushnell. So, uh it's probably the best comment I can give you, but uh if you want to add some more words, but it's a great night, a great weekend. >> Yeah. >> Lots of creativity, lots of dedication in the drama department. Thank you to Mrs. Freytag, as well. Um and yes, those nominations, if if you are not aware of the Halos and the Sound Times,

035it's like the mini Tonys for uh high school musicals. Um so, that is There's a lot to be said for being nominated for those. Um so, congratulations to Juliana Gway and um Madeline Sawyer. Um both of which um being high school students and getting an achievement in either um it was scenic design for um Juliana and it was achievement in costume design for Madeline. Um fabulous and way to to represent Rocky Hill High School. And we are patiently waiting for the Halos. Um those nominations will be coming out soon, and when they do, I'm sure there will be um some really happy kids. Um we we did bring home a Halo last year. I I think actually we brought home two last year. Um and so, I'm looking forward to hoping that uh Rocky Hill

036High School Drama Club will bring home a few more Halos this year. So, >> Would you Would you mind I know that like the list is a little lengthy. Would you mind if I just read some of the names of the people who are involved? >> Please do. >> Okay. So, uh Isabella Alfredo, Benjamin Massicot, Thomas Good, Jack O'Connell, Ruthie Sessic, Kumar, uh Catherine Mayano, Jean Williams, Avika Jain, Rishil Jog, Shaylin Patel, Nora Richter, Penelope Sarfo, Abigail Plage, Addison Ferella, Emily Forcier, [clears throat] Violet Collins, Gabriel Tab, Taylor Drezek, Anvi Bose, Sheza Aftab. And that was the cast. The ensemble, if I make a mistake with your name in here, then I apologize. Tubi Ali, Arya Arya Mohanty, Julian Bergen, Lera Blackler, Tamia Buddha, Sophia Eaton, Ellie Hardenwheeler, Charlotte Reedswael, Helena Romero Rodriguez, Amina Berbick,

037Brody Conners, Ju- Juliana Guay Guay, Violet Heinly, Juliana Hong, Madison McFarland, Mia McFarland, Pearl Michael, Athena Perez, Madeleine Sawyer, Asmi Tumney. So, I mean, that that's a a pretty good list of of talented young people that put a lot of heart and soul into this. And uh if you were able to go see the production, it was magnificent. So, I thank them a lot for uh the work they do, and especially Ms. Freytag, who Mr. Mazejar says a lot of great things about and and she is outstanding. And she's actually starting another program um that Dr. Zito has uh graciously uh filled for us. So, we're excited about that. So, >> Yes, and and you know, the actors and actresses that are on the stage are the ones kind of putting on that production that

038you're watching, but it's the background um help that is going on behind the scenes that you don't see, the technical, the lighting, all of that stuff to make the scenes change so quickly and swiftly. Um that you just you don't even realize it's happening because the story of the the presentation is just taking you away, but it was a lot of hands um you know, making it >> I got to I have to mention one more person. >> Go ahead. >> Mr. DeCarli knows this. Um Ms. Lori Cavanda helped out >> Yes. >> and volunteered hundreds of hours. Um and she was doing a lot of the props that >> Right, David. I think >> in building that. And she's like, "The kids are keep breaking and I got to keep putting it back together."

039>> [laughter] >> But uh Lori has so much passion for our kids and she's a super lady. So, I want to I want to recognize Ms. Cavanda for all her great work that that she did in uh in fueling that. So, >> Excellent. >> It's a great weekend. >> Thank you very much. Um do I think you're also staying for the next awards as well or the HOSA and DECA club awards? >> Yes. So, >> Awesome. >> Uh I'll start with HOSA. So, on Saturday, March 14th, 44 students from Rocky Hill High School HOSA chapter, there's about 90 kids in it. That is uh fueled by uh Eileen Schneider and uh Kim Antos and uh Mr. Debacco. And um they participated in the state leadership conference at the Waterbury Career Academy. The students have been

040preparing for the conference all year. They meet I think they meet every week. Um there's a lot of kids in the auditorium after after school. And um I can hear Ms. Schneider from uh my office. And um they compete in a number of health care areas um roughly 600 to 800 students. Um the students were able to engage in workshops and hear about learning opportunities like the Center for DNA Guided Medicine Genetics Program in Hartford and the GW Pre-College Summer Program at George Washington University. They engaged in networking activities with students from other schools and had a fun fun-filling day. So, we had a lot of students compete. We had um students take second place in community awareness. We had um students take second place in CPR first aid event. Uh the emergency medical technician,

041we had a first place winner. For the mental health promotion, we had another first place winner. For public health, we had a first place winner. We had a third place winner for public service announcement. And we had some uh gold level recipients for the Barbara James Service Award. And um So, it was a really really good day for our our kids as as they shined. And um you know, they they represented our school really really well. So, um my hat goes off to the those young people who put that time and effort and who have a passion right now for that pathway of of health care. And um you know, my my three really strong advisers that that made that happen and spent a a a Saturday uh with our our from uh 7:00 in

042the morning till 6 at night uh making this happen. So, I know there's a lot of good things to come and um again, just very very proud of their efforts. >> Um if I could just interject for a moment, um I I know that the Rocky Hill High School HOSA club has definitely gotten their name out there because I actually had um through uh some recent work done with the Epilepsy Foundation, the high school in Avon would like to connect with our Rocky Hill High School. So, the HOSA club there would like to connect with our HOSA club. So, we're going to make that happen because I think they [clears throat] could together do some amazing things for the state of Connecticut. >> from us. >> Yeah, possibly. >> [laughter] >> So, um so the

043next one is kind of near and dear to my heart as a former CTE teacher, um big advocate for uh cooperative education. And so, uh we don't so they participated in a DECA event, which stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America. And what uh that club is, it's run by um marketing teachers and um basically there's two types of events you can enter and you can either do an individual series event or you can do a um competitive team event, individual series or or like probably like a group presentation is the best way to say it. And so, um in the individual series event, which I think is a lot is a lot more difficult to place, so they place like the top six winners and um basically you take a 100 question multiple choice

044uh test on a certain area that you pick and you study for it. And then you go into a role player scenario. It's all day. They have judges everywhere. It's a long day. A lot of the students sit around for a long time, but it takes a long time to to add these things up. You have like some really top notch schools like we were competing against New Canaan High School. We were competing against Amity High School. Um a lot of really good schools. And so, they those schools ran the DECA club within their curriculum for 180 days. So, because we had a couple um aspiring young people that wanted to go to the DECA competition, DECA allows you to go as a club. So, um I said, "Yeah, you can do anything you want.

045I'm not going to say no to you, but you got to get an advisor." So, um they went and found an advisor. They asked Mr. Mr. Brett Frank, who was the um the assistant in the athletic office helping out with Mr. Trudeau, and he said, "Sure, I'll do it for you." So, he met with them once or twice a week, and they prepared and prepped um 30 students, went to this competition, and um very proud to say that um it was a great experience. They do a super job. It's kind of like the Olympic games, you know, where they they have the they they call you off and you stand third place, second place, first place. So, they call the kids down. They play like this new music. I I can't understand the words anymore.

046But, what they do is it it's like a big sign-off to who wins, and we were actually um very well represented, and we I'm very proud to say we had two winners, and um I know Aryan is here. Aryan, could you come up here, please? This is Aryan Jangle. He's a sophomore. You look fresh, and I like those shoes. Um so, Mr. Jangle uh took first place in the individual series event. >> [applause] >> Uh yeah. Hello, uh uh Board of Education members. So, I was in the financial consulting event, which is a individual event like uh Mr. Fordy just mentioned. Uh you have to take a 100 uh uh question multiple-choice exam, uh which I took, and then you go to states. Uh >> You got a 98. >> 98. Yeah. And then so,

047then you go to states, which was at I forget. It was at Aqua Turf, I think, in Southington. And so, it's a five like it's a five-minute consulting basically interview where they ask you they give you a business, which was I think um The business was a music store or something online that's going rapidly and you need to like on the spot um create formulate advice which a financial consultant would do and then they grade you on the rubric and then they tally up the points and kind of announce your name at the end. Yeah. >> What was your biggest takeaway that day? >> Uh the biggest takeaway is also uh There was a lot of networking opportunities there. Um it's also tiring at the end so I didn't take full advantage of that. We

048were waiting for a long time. Um but the biggest takeaway was like it gave me real-world experience as I want to go into finance in the future. Uh it gave me real-world experience on what that looks like and it was just a great event and I'm thankful for the school for letting us compete for the first year. Yeah, I think we're yeah. I don't think so. Uh I can tell >> We're just We're just We're just talking. >> Yeah. I can tell. >> [laughter] >> I think it's the business administration and what >> Financial advice. >> Thanks. Thank you. >> Good job, Aryan. >> [applause] >> He's a great young man with a lot of passion. I taught him how to send invites now so we're we're getting along much better. He would send me

049these emails. Can I share? >> Yeah, yeah. >> Okay. So, he would send me these emails and I would say sure and then he'd say you didn't get back to me so we had to go over how to send invites now. So, I get an invite every day now. So, we we talk a lot so but he's a super young man and I'm very very proud of him and I hope he's probably I hope you're proud of yourself cuz what you did was pretty cool. And so, the other person that we had who finished in fourth place within the business administration, which is another individual series event, again take a test, do a scenario role play and uh was Ingris Lin. Ingris, are you here tonight? No, she's not here tonight. But again, two students

050that uh were very deserving in the they placed, which is uh very very difficult to do. So, um I want to thank uh Brett Frank for all his time um and taking our students uh down down there in uh you know, I I talked to him uh yesterday and he said, you know, "I didn't think it was going to be that good an event, but what I realized is that uh the the powerful moments that those kids were able to share with each other." So, I'm glad they had the opportunity to do that. So, hopefully you can win more next year. So, um the last thing that I have to speak to tonight, according to the agenda, is Model UN. Adnan, would you mind just coming up here because I like how you fill in

051the dots for me. >> [clears throat] >> So, um first and foremost, you know, again, I I just want to thank the board for supporting the Model UN Model UN. And um if you were able to go uh to the Model UN conference at Rocky Hill, I was totally blown away how a bunch of 16, 17, and 18-year-old young people could be so precise in their details and how they covered every single thing that I wouldn't have thought of. From the moment people walked in to the name tags, to the rooms, to following their agenda, from the website that they produced, from the PowerPoint, from the coordinating the speaker, and making sure that they marketed and promoted. I mean, it was as good an event as an experienced business professional could put on. I mean,

052it was outstanding. There was a there was a buzz in the air, there was an energy, and um you know, when I I met this guy, I asked him to define leadership for me. Do you remember? I'm putting you on and I said, well, what is good leadership? And he looked at me and I told you that what did I tell you? There were three things, right? >> There were three things, yeah. >> You remember? >> [clears throat] >> This is like 4 years ago. >> I'm trying to remember. One key thing is always to recognize your team and the people who you surround yourself with. Second one >> Actually, he's over one right now, but I'm going to help him out. So I said there's three things. You got to inspire the people around

053you. >> That's close enough. >> No, inspire is different than get good people around you. >> I'd say gratitude, like give gratitude. >> Okay. Number two is what? Value the people around you. >> Okay, so that's >> Recognition is different. And then what? Empower them to make those decisions. And what I saw was I saw him empower people and delegate and they really came together. What I was so impressed with was I said, who scheduled all the like in the committees, like they had like, hey, I want 5 more minutes or you know, I want a break. And I'm like, who did that? And so, I mean, they they just did a super job. I was just so proud of their efforts that day. And so, um I just kind of want to read for

054you read for them some of their highlights this year. Um so, he's got a big job. He's got to make sure that he can find those people to to carry this Model UN um further. And [clears throat] don't go too far away cuz we might need you as a consultant. We're not paying you. And then I just want you to know that they went to the Model UN conference at Yale. They went to the Model UN conference in Boston again. They which there was over 2,500 students. We had four winners. Um Ishan, Adat, Suhan, and Anvi all were recognized at the conference. Adat and Anvi received outstanding delegate awards, which is the second highest honor that one can receive. And um they uh They they they made so many more students in our school be

055part of something and Adnan I talk about it's one we when you feel like you belong and you can contribute in anything that you do then good things are going to happen and he was able to do this with with this program and again I'm indebted I've told you this before I've learned a lot from you and I appreciate it I'm going to miss you next year but I like Harvard sweatshirt or whatever hoodie don't forget and so but just again I'll I'll let him speak if he wants to but super super proud of him. >> Yeah I know I thank you. >> [applause] >> First thing I just want to say thank you to everyone who came in support it really meant a lot it felt like the community came together for this event

056you know when you have so many board of ed members come and attend when you have the mayor of Rocky Hill come and attend when you have both the state rep and state senators come and attend a high school event you know as an organizer and as a leader I felt so proud of you know our town and the community coming together to support and just big thanks to my entire team you know it's not a one man show I might be the man who is standing here today but there's so much behind the scenes work that went behind this over 20 plus people were part of this initiative because we had to time from the minute people got here around 7:00 till the end around 9:00 we had to time almost every single 5

057minutes to make sure that we follow the schedule so hours countless hours of planning from so many so many team members and yeah I'm very excited to see where this club goes you know I saw I founded this club 4 years ago I never imagined it would grow this large definitely never imagined I would host a conference and that too with 95 students from over 12 schools so to have that type of attendance in Rocky Hill is you know truly tremendous effort and cannot be done without so much support from Mr. Fody the board of ed Mr. Dudis also the custodians there were so many so many so many people you know who were part of this and I can I could not thank this town enough. And going forward just a little bit of

058a snippet of what will happen next next year. We are hoping and I'm kind of in talks with other schools and maybe doing a Connecticut conference to you know, get as many schools you know, involved as possible cuz right now Rocky Hill is only a small portion of you know, Central Connecticut whereas you can maybe centralize and get so many more schools. So there are plans to expand and I'm very excited to see where you know, the future goes and just No, it just means so much for all of you guys who attended and even those who weren't able to make it I understand and you know, I felt the support even without your presence. So thank you to everyone in this town and I feel good leaving you know, my high school as a

059senior that you know, my town supported me and I'm proud to be from Rocky Hill and wherever I go that will always be part of me. So thank you. So thank you for that. >> [applause] >> Adante, before you walk away, can you just um can you remind everyone how many students were part of this event and then how many schools from around Connecticut joined Rocky Hill that day? >> Yeah, so we had total 95 delegates. So that represents all the people who are competing from across 12 schools in Connecticut. Some schools go as far as Amity High School in Orange, Connecticut. So schools from over 40 minutes away have traveled and did travel actually for a conference. So truly you know, people wanted to come and please do follow our Instagram. We have a

060video up if you guys haven't seen we created a good kind of 30 second clip in summarizing the conference. But no, it was truly truly special. And for anyone asking this is for senior assassins. But just just I don't I don't know Mr. Foti. >> [laughter] >> That's not on the agenda. We can't talk about that tonight. Sorry. Um Adante >> So you asked there was there was 40 names that that received uh were part of the uh Model UN con- conference at >> Conference. Okay. Thank you. Adat, you were very kind that day as well, walking me around from room to room, and I actually did get an opportunity to sit through um I think it was the Cuban Missile Crisis, and I got to go into Russia uh for part of the time,

061and then I got to go into the United States for part of the time, and I was just amazed at the amount of global awareness and the questions, and um I got to watch a process of um a letter that was being written on the Russian side that was then, as I walked over to the US side, the letter was delivered, and I got to see the reaction from the US team, and I was just I was taken away. So, thank you so much for um for starting this program uh at Rock Hill High School. We want to keep it going, but thank you for your leadership. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> And thank you to everybody else. Thanks for your support. >> Thank you, Mr. Foti, for coming up to chat with us

062tonight. We had fun with you. Thank you. >> I had a lot of fun, too. [laughter] Thank you. >> All right. Next is um a Harlem Wizards um highlights. Um and I have coming to the to the microphone Henry Vassal. >> Thank you. I I do appreciate that and and your time. I see you have a very busy agenda. I'm here tonight with uh Jason and Michelle, uh part of our board, um and they're passing out the programs for the evening. A lot of great sponsors, a lot of people donated to make this possible, and we hope that we can all show them the support that they deserve. Um we're actually very lucky because uh Mayor Smith, our state representative Kerry Wood, huge supporters. They're always helping us, and we really do appreciate it. The

063Board of Education, Dr. Zito, I mean uh Mr. Nozik as our scorekeeper, Wendy Duran our clock operator. We We appreciate everything you do. We do have a video that's going to start like any second now. And, oh boy. Now, Mr. Pote is going to help. Oh, boy. >> [laughter] >> Hopefully, we can get that. Oh, there we go. Um and what happens with the money we make? I mean, it's a 100% volunteer organization and we give back 100% of the money we make. Uh I This year, we were able to donate money to set up a fund for the therapy dog for West Hill School. We funded safety supplies for all the classrooms of all the schools. We supplied money for a cart for special education at the high school and the microphones for Steven

064School. And, as you can see in these pictures, the team that played is we had coach Bethany Collado, um Tanya Adorno, Keith Baker, Brian Carroll, Thomas Castello, Matt DeLuco, Matt DePaulo, uh Cara Faucher, Christina Ferran, Danielle Galligan, Travis Godley, Matthew Cataja, Jessica Lynch, Stacy Miller, Laura Montgomery, Caitlin Moore, Glenn Nelson, Magda O'Brien, Cara Quinn, Sarah Raymond, Brian Sanford, Gillian Shearer, Diane Sousa, and Victoria Zakibna. I think I got that right. Um but, as you can see, it was a great evening. If you missed it, no worries. We're already working on next year's show. It's going to be bigger, better, brand new, bunch of surprises. Um and we just really appreciate everything you do for us and and we get a lot of volunteers from the board and we do appreciate that, too, in all our

065events. Um but, we can't thank you enough for your help in making this a suc- success. And, through that, we're able to give back to our schools. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> All right. Nobody else wants to talk. Thanks again. Have a good evening. >> Did you want to Did you want to give a few words or no? I I don't want to put you on the spot. Okay. I know I had originally put you on the spot before. Um again, uh the Education Foundation, thank you for your commitment to our schools and the fundraising that they do do for the with through the Wizards game for us. Um you know, you're providing meaningful opportunities for our students and resources that enrich the experiences um in our schools. So, we are deeply

066grateful for your partnership. Thank you very much. Um All right. And so, that is the end of our district celebrations. I'm very That was um That was something new that we added to our agendas this year, and I'm so glad we did because wow, um I'm just beaming here uh listening to uh the great goodness that is going on in our district. So, thank you. Moving on to agenda 4A is a special recognition for a gentleman that is sitting in the back of the room right now, Mr. Shawn Gavin, um who is a former board member, and we would like him to come forward because we would like to talk to you about your dedicated service to our community. And um Dr. Zito is going to speak, and I believe that Mr. Clemens is going

067to say a few words as well. >> Wow. A few words on >> Pretty good. How are you, sir? >> Not bad. >> So, this is uh Shawn Gavin. Um Brian, you're going to say some words, too? >> You go first, Dr. >> Okay. So, just a couple of words. Uh Shawn uh joined our board in 2021. He served here um in Rocky Hill on the board for 4 years. Uh a dedicated and highly engaged board member. Um worked on the facilities committee. Um he's the father of three boys here in the school system. And um from my standpoint, Shawn, I always appreciated your your very keen business acumen. Uh you're really involved every year in some pretty detailed budget conversations. I know you put a lot of time into that. The facility stuff, you

068focused on that. Uh Shawn was also very instrumental in leading the district movement from desktops to um more of an iPad approach. It's been hugely successful. You get the credit for driving that. >> I knew it was going to be. >> Yeah, and and also, you know, you just you Yeah, your sarcastic sense of humor, I I always enjoyed that, too. So, >> It's nothing like going in the math classroom. >> we want to recognize you with your traditional school bell. >> Thank you very much. >> And I do thank you for your excellent service. And I know some other folks want to speak about you. >> It was fun. >> We were Yeah, we were going to give you an old desk, but you know, just because we figured you needed one. Go ahead,

069Mr. Clemens. >> Uh thank you. Um I'll keep it short, cuz if I say too much, Shawn will kill me. >> going to I'm going to motion for a 5-minute recess, so everyone can go home. >> Yes. That's right. >> I can start now. >> I've had Shawn, I had the pleasure of serving you 2 years on this board, my first 2 years. You just taught me a lot. Uh grew a lot of great talks. I knew you back when we were at both on the Little League board. Um just really thank you for your your time, your effort, your countless hours behind the scenes of, you know, the work you put in to help our students, our teachers, our faculty, everyone just uh have a better environment to work in. So, thank you very

070much. >> Thank you. >> Mr. Gavin, do you have any words? Would you like to speak at all? >> I would like to make a motion for a 5-minute recess. >> Second. >> Everyone [laughter] can go home. How's that? >> I'll second. >> I can't motion to adjourn, so I'm going to go with the motion [laughter] for a 5-minute recess. >> I I am I am I am going to go into recess, but I have one more agenda item I have to get through. I'm so sorry, but We do thank you. >> You could go to recess, and then get to the agenda. >> We do thank you very [clears throat] much for coming to this evening. >> appreciate it. I enjoyed working with everyone. Thank you. >> GAVIN. >> [applause] [laughter] >> I I

071DO HAVE JUST ONE MORE AGENDA ITEM I'D LIKE TO get through before we go into recess, but um that is we have Mr. Jordan Chagall here this evening, and he is our technology education teacher and also um he is in running currently our Rocky Hill High School Career Center and I asked him to come in tonight to give an update because we're very proud about what's going on over at the high school but also recently we had a career expo and that I heard was absolutely fantastic and so we wanted to give you an opportunity to speak tonight so thanks for coming in. >> Thank you for having me. I appreciate it the board and Dr. Zito, Mr. Rand, Mr. Nozik and Miss Diaz. I appreciate you guys having me here. So basically the first

072thing I wanted to talk about was the career expo. So we had over 600 kids from the sophomore, junior and senior class participate. We had a total of 47 organizations and more than 75 professionals show up. So it was the first year we've run it through the career center. It was a great turnout. A lot of people I'll share some of the statistics I got from the industry partners as well as the students in the coming slides but one thing I wanted to bring up was really we're trying to with this career center making all encompassing. So the reason why that center image the career clusters is there is because when we laid out all of the businesses I did it with the if you'll see on the left hand side and the right hand

073side I made it so that you kids noticed the businesses and where they fell in the career clusters. So then they can start in their brains associating certain industries, careers, professions, jobs with those clusters so that they can start being more cognizant and kind of planning their time at Rocky Hill High School a little bit more coherently. Now that they're not doing that already but more coherently to careers. So one of the things that I had them do was they were required to complete a career expo passport. So they had to talk to at least two businesses. So what they noticed was the career clusters as I just indicated. So we had organization one and organization two. They had to ask certain questions and got an understanding in terms of the education that they need

074to be able to to get to the positions. Um, sometimes it's harder for the kids to go up to talk to the businesses. So, on that sheet I included the top 10 questions to ask a career professional to kind of break that ice um, so that students felt more comfortable. And then if a lot of students I gave them an opportunity to and they went and talked to multiple different organizations. Like I said in the coming slides you'll see that most students actually talked to four plus organizations. So, it was really awesome. Um, So, the industry feedback overall how would you rate your experience at the career fair? Um, overwhelmingly excellent. Uh, I was very happy with this and the I included some quotes directly from people who had sent them. Uh, the students were

075very respectful and interested in learning more about our offerings. We cover many college and career fairs across the state. I can share that your students were a class act. Well done to you fellow educators and to the teachers who represented you so well and thank you for having us. A theme tonight has been the fact that we have an amazing community and that was echoed by our industry partners who had come to the event. Um, did the students come participated or prepared with questions to or topics to discuss? And yes, they came very prepared or somewhat prepared. Even those kids who were a little bit awkward or whatnot, we didn't even get not very prepared at all. So, I was very happy with this. Love to increase the percentage obviously in the future, but very

076happy that we're able to get those kids outside of their comfort zones. Um, and from one of the participants we had the level of student engagement stood out in particular. As you know, it's incredibly difficult for high school students to step outside their comfort zones as I've indicated, approach unfamiliar professionals and ask thoughtful questions especially when they are not yet have a clear interest in a particular field. So, that was a big thing is that they were going to fields that they didn't naturally know about. Um, we had representation across the entire population. Um, which was great. And then industry feedback, we're exploring the opportunity to expand the career expo's duration cuz as you noticed, one of the things that the industry partners said that they didn't have initially the best time with the students,

077meaning they didn't have enough time to get into those deeper level questions. They indicated almost they would like to have it separated out by grade, so juniors and seniors go in to talk to them about interview questions and things like that, getting them ready for that next step. And then freshmen and sophomores kind of getting them to start to understand what the business is so that they can be aware of the skills that they would need to gain at Regular High School to be successful. So they were indicating that on the survey. So we already talked about uh Mr. Fody and I talked about holding it in the fall so that when the kids go to the career expo, they're able to understand, all right, these are the skills I need to take, these are

078the classes I should be taking at Regular High School to align with that thought process. Um student feedback, how valuable was your experience at the career expo? We had somewhat valuable and very valuable. Again, I was very happy with these results. And then how many tables or organizations did you mean and feel interact with? We had three to four was the predominant number of tables. So the kids were going out even though they're only required to talk to one to two tables, they went above and beyond that, which was great to see. And then the career expo helped me better understand possible career pathways. Overwhelmingly, we're leaning more towards the fact that yes, they're starting to recognize due to the table displays that I showed you earlier, the career pathways in the career clusters. Um

079after attending the career expo, how did you feel about your future plans? What was surprising to me was that from one event, which is why I'm very excited about the career center, they said 20% said more confident and 37% said somewhat more confident. So after one event, more than 50 kids felt like they were more prepared for their future steps, which was awesome. Um student feedback, one of the things that was generated was the career requirements and education. They started to understand all of that so that they can be better prepared once they leave high school for the modern day workforce. The job realities and flexibilities, really what it is day-to-day to work inside of that certain career. They are no longer guessing. They're starting to understand and seeing if that's a fit for them.

080Uh professional development opportunities, again, what should they be working for or with at Rock Hill High School so that they can be successful and kind of have that competitive advantage in our ever-increasing competitive workforce. Um and then general life and career advice, they were able to talk to them to understand that um you need [snorts] to have small experiences can matter as much if you, as we've talked about the civility moments, those tiny moments actually make huge impact in terms of what you're developing as a person. Right? So, they started to see that connection. So, the other thing that the Career Center has been doing, um besides the Career Expo, which was a great success, was the career pathway presentations. So, kind of the way that this is advertised is the fact that it gives

081the kids the upper hand or kind of the cheat code to be successful in the career that they choose. So, one of the career pathway presentations we had was presented by Mayor Alan Smith. He came in on March 26th, talked to the kids. Um we had a great showing, as you could see, and a number of them stayed after to ask him more questions. So, that was awesome. And then, we've also been doing field trips. February 12th, students participated in the Cybersecurity and You virtual field trip with Math Insight Education Research. On that virtual field trip, we actually had Homeland Security individuals come on, talk to the kids about, all right, how is this from national security's perspective, and what would you be able to do? So, it was talking about the military perspective as

082well as the corporate perspective with them. It was just really cool to see. Um So, then we today, literally today, went to the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce career fair at Wesleyan University. And so, that was in partnership with the Rock Hill High School business department. Upcoming field trips, next Wednesday we are going to the Associate Builders and Contractors of Connecticut Construction Career Day. So, that's really exciting for the kids to learn about different true trades. And then we're also going to Trumpf on May 1st. So, it's a high-tech company that is basically manufacturing solutions across machine tools, laser technology, electronics, and industry 4.0. They have a beautiful campus in Farmington that we're excited to go see and talk to their HR reps and be able to walk the floor of that building. Um the other

083thing is we know that obviously kids can't always get to our center, but what we're building is the podcast uh recordings. So, we are starting we got through Perkins funding, Perkins 5 grant funding, we're able to get podcast equipment. Uh we got industry standard equipment. I actually talked to Jim Shuman, our band director, to be able to get information from him. I talked to um our AV tech, Doug Russell, to be able to gather to make sure that we had the best equipment we could to be able to get the recordings as clear and precise as possible, but also give the kids an industry experience while they're doing the recordings, if that is something that they want to pursue. So, uh we're very excited about that. And what we plan on doing is actually modeling

084different career clusters over the course of 14 months so that the kids can tap and start learning about those individual clusters. Um the cool part about that is actually the Vocaster in the back is able to connect with phones so we can call industry professionals. They don't even need to come in and we'll be able to connect it right to that Vocaster so we'll have a conversation with them. So, we'll be able to record it and share it out with the kids. Um and we'll keep that all internally obviously because of student data privacy. Um cookies, careers, and conversations. So, we had some chocolate cookie cookies with the mayor. Um Ms. Monaco, our culinary teacher, she's developing where she's taken the initiative to make those, which is awesome, very helpful. Um but really what the

085focus of this is having the kids work on the resume skills. So, as underclassmen they're going to start to be exposed to resumes and then as upperclassmen what they're going to start doing is developing their executive summaries based on their experience at Rocky Hill High School and tie that into the vision of the graduate so that they can upon graduation explain how have I met the criteria of the vision of a graduate for Rocky Hill High School and Rocky Hill Public Schools. Um, besides that, you just saw the podcast equipment. What we're going to do is create mock interviews so that the kid can actually hear what they've said in the responses and all of those things. So, professional development, this is a huge undertaking. I appreciate the fact that I've been trusted with it

086so that is something I've been continuing to take very seriously this year. I got to go to the Connecticut Workforce Summit Reimagined Career Pathways hosted by the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. Um, right there you'll see Governor Lamont. There was a number of notable individuals at this commission and they were really emphasis was on reinforcing the importance of aligning education with the evolving workforce demands. So, I have this which is Connecticut Workforce and Education Strategy Blueprint which is sponsored by JP Morgan and Chase from that conference to be able to understand kind of where we're headed from the industry partners and the collaboration with the Department of Education. So, it's really awesome conference to be able to go to. And all of this is a lot of things that are moving moving parts all those

087things. I want to extend my sincere thanks to the Board of Education, Superintendent Dr. Zito, Assistant Superintendent Mr. Rand, Miss Assistant Superintendent Miss Diaz Santiago and Mr. Nozik, Principal Mr. Fody, Assistant Principal Mr. DeCarli, Miss Galligan, Mr. Gway and his IT team as well as Mr. LaMontagne and his facilities team. Without the collective effort the Career Center would not have been able to achieve all that it is it has since its grand opening on October 30th, which is quite a bit in 1 year, which is awesome. So, thank you very much for all of your support. Um and then our ultimate goal really for the career center is to help kids to learn today so that they can lead tomorrow and again have that competitive advantage leaving the Rock Hill public school systems. So. >>

088[applause] >> Are there any questions or comments from the board? >> You do a phenomenal job with that center. >> Yeah. >> Phenomenal job. >> Thank you. >> Go ahead, Mr. Addy. >> Yeah, thank you. Yeah, I think you got the email feedback from my wife Marcy who runs the construction education center and is a participant over the years and said it was a complete turnaround and uh hopefully you get to share that feedback with with your fellow team as well cuz it was it was good stuff and uh my son as well had nothing but great things to say, so appreciate all the work you're doing. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Welcome. Any Any other questions or comments? >> Oh, I just wanted to say that you're doing a great

089job. Um I'm surprised at how much you've done in such a short period of time and um I look forward to see where it's going from here. I know it's something that we've thought about for a long time um and I love the fact that that kids that aren't doing the college route also have some guidance and and a plan in place. So, loving what you're doing and keep on doing it. >> Thank you. Thank you. Very excited to see where we go, so thank you. >> Excellent excellent job. Thank you so much for coming in tonight. We appreciate it. All right, and with that I am going to take a motion for a 10-minute recess. >> Motion for 10-minute recess. >> Thank you, Mr. Cosker. Second. Who seconds? Mr. Clements. All in favor? >>

090Mr. Shawn Gallant. >> Aye. Thank you so much. 10-minute recess. We'll be back. Thank you. >> We had another packed room, so >> Talk to my dogs when I first >> Mhm. >> Let's do it. >> All right, I am we are back. Calling our meeting back to order. It is 8:33 and we are going to continue with our approval of minutes. That is item number six on our agenda. We have minutes for March 12th, April 7th, I'm sorry, March 12th Board of Education meeting, March 7th um was a Board of Education Curriculum Committee meeting. Uh April 7th was also a Board of Education Policy Committee meeting and April 22nd is was a Board of Education Voice Committee meeting. And in your packet, I do believe we have some There were some amended minutes that

091were included. Um I love the fact that Sandy is so um organized and she goes through everything and I just found a couple little things that she quickly um corrected. So, thank you very much, Sandy. Um so, are there any questions, concerns, or comments about those minutes? I'll give you a second to look through them because um you may not have had a minute. And I know the Voice meeting minutes were included in your yellow folder [clears throat] tonight. >> They were. >> Do you have a question? No, you're good. Okay, can I have a motion to um accept the uh minutes as listed? >> So moved. >> Thank you, Mr. Kosker. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Ms. Manella. All in favor? >> Aye. >> Uh any opposed? Any abstentions?

092Okay, motion passes. Thank you so much. All right, moving on to agenda item number seven, correspondence, Dr. Zito. >> No correspondence. >> Okay, thank you so much. Agenda item number eight uh is consent calendar. We have uh non-renewal of employees, long-term and building substitutes. And I think you have a memo in here, correct? >> Yep. >> Sorry. Sorry, it's here, for sure. Okay, would you would you like to speak to it, Dr. Zito? And then that way, sorry, go ahead. >> So each year um at this time before the May 1 uh deadline approaches, we typically non-renew um our individuals that are certified teachers uh that are in long-term subbing positions such as building subs. Um you have the list there. They've all been notified. Um we do this because these are not positions that

093we um necessarily we wouldn't be granting tenure for these positions, so um it's a pretty standard thing. Uh some of these people obviously will be considered for uh continued employment next year. But at this point, to protect the board from a a tenure tile type commitment to these individuals, we recommend a non-renewal. Again, uh a lot of times with these folks, we do bring them back, but from a contractual standpoint, we're advised by Shipman and Goodwin to do the non-renewal before May 1st. >> Any questions or comments for Dr. Zito? Great. Moving on to committee reports, number nine, curriculum. >> [clears throat] >> Uh yep, the curriculum committee met on April 7th. Um and we we had a pretty lengthy meeting, which I thought went extremely well, and thank you to Mr. And for all

094the work that you did for preparing for that. Um, we had a lot of discussion around a potential staffing position that's in the budget um, for this coming school year. Um, originally it was framed to be a world language position at Mosier. Um, and after seeing the updated data and having a additional conversations with the committee, um, we felt that that position was best to be filled as a multilingual learner, um, position at the GMS level. Um, so we had very thoughtful discussions, um, about that position, the data that surrounded that. Um, I do want to note that the committee and I think I I [clears throat] speak for the committee on behalf of the board. I I think that we have a shared, um, drive to really think about foreign language and world languages

095in our district as a whole. Um, so we're considering putting together a committee that will look specifically at world languages and how we can structure that in the best and most effective way for our district. Um, I know that there's been a lot of conversations within the community around that position, um, but we did take a good hard look at the data and this was, um, the decision that we made as a committee to move forward with that position, um, for a multilingual learner [clears throat] at GMS. Um, we we had a great discussion about the state assessment audit. Um, we received an update from Mr. And and the next steps will be forming a district-wide committee that will guide that work and ensure progress. Um, we talked about the anxious generation book club, um,

096which there has been a resoundingly positive, um, commitment, I think, and interest in that book club throughout the book community. We have 56 parents and seven staff members signed up for that. And that was as of April 7th, so that could have even increased since then. Um and then the other and the last kind of big topic that we talked about was the math curriculum and updating our Bridges math curriculum to version three and kind of the implementation plan and what that looks like for the district in a phased approach. Um So the plan was to start with teacher materials in 26-27 to support curriculum writing and then with a full rollout in um school year 2027-2028. So I think overall the committee, you know, really continues to focus on making thoughtful, student-centered decisions um

097across curriculum and programming and um you know, I I welcome any other comments from any other committee members or Mr. Anthony. Okay. Seeing no comments, thank you so much for a very um detailed uh report on curriculum. Um I need to pause for a moment because I in error forgot to um take a motion for um our consent calendar. So I need a I'm looking for a motion to uh put the non-renewal of employees on our consent calendar. I need a vote. I'm sorry. A motion, please. A motion to approve. >> A motion to approve. >> The consent calendar. >> Yes, the consent calendar. As stated or as written. >> chair. >> Thank you so much, Ms. Minella. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Ms. Morfea. All in favor? >> I.

098I. >> Any opposed? Any abstentions? Thank you. Motion passes. Apologies for that. Um now we can continue. Um facilities number 10, please, on our agenda. >> Uh facilities committee has not met. We'll meet next Tuesday, April 28th. >> Thank you very much. Number 11, finance. >> Uh finance has not met, but um we will be presenting our budget to town council on May 5th. >> Number 12, P&N. >> Oh. Also no um no report. >> Number 13, policy. >> Um the policy committee also met on April 7th, and uh we focused primarily on the kindergarten age change. Um and you know, as a result of recent legislation that passed um last year, it is it was really up to the board for this upcoming school year for 2026-2027 um to determine whether or not they

099wanted to implement a waiver um for those {quote} birth babies um to enter kindergarten. So, it was the board's decision to continue to offer waivers for the 2026-2027 school year. Um as we have already We're we're approaching about 30 families who have already submitted waivers. Um so, in an attempt to um you know, keep the stability for those families and understand that if we were to pull back on that decision would um negatively impact those families particularly partic- particularly around finding alternative care um for those children for that year. Uh we decided to offer the waiver, but the 2027-2028 school year will have a hard um age as of five as sorry, a hard age of five as of September 1st, 2020 seven. Um so, I just wanted to give that update, and I believe

100we are proposing that for a second read tonight. so um more to come on that. Anything else [clears throat] that the policy committee wants to add? >> Um yes. Uh no, I just would like to add that um waivers will only be accepted um up to August 27th 27th of this year 2026. We are not accepting after that, which is the start of school. >> Any questions or comments? >> Okay, very good. Excellent. Thank you. Uh moving on, number 14, special education. >> Uh special education has not met, and we will also meet next Tuesday, April 20th. >> Thank you. This number 15, CREC Council. >> Okay, at the March meeting um Executive Director Mr. Nesmith uh provided an update on the 2026 legislative legislative session, highlighting CREC's advocacy to restore the $12 million for

101magnet schools that was removed from the governor's proposed budget. Um he has been meeting with legislators to underscore the significant impact of the cut and the consequences if if the funding was not restored. Council members were encouraged to amplify these advo- advocacy efforts. Um and it looks like those grassroots efforts paid off because during the Finance Committee meeting that was on April 8th, they discussed that the $12 million was put back in, um but they are cautiously cautiously optimistic that the $12 million will stay in the budget. Um and also the council members were provided a letter that CREC sent out to families living in Hartford in response to the Hartford Board of Education's approval of a contract with a Memphis-based consulting firm. Um this letter I mean this firm is now recruiting students back

102to Hartford public schools from CREC and other choice programs. The one-year contract valued up to 500,000 includes a payment of $935 per each student that six that they successfully recruit back to going um back to you Hartford public schools out of the correct program. Um so this effort comes in response to a significant enrollment decline in Hartford over a thousand students >> [snorts] >> in the past year and approximately 4,500 since 2018. So the firm's strategy includes um door-to-door outreach as well as text and phone campaigns. The structure and approach raise concerns about the potential impact on student choice and program stability. So CREC currently is very concerned about this um this program going in effect. Um Uh also the the council also approved a significant number of policy changes. Um I mean it's a

103big list so if anybody wants to see them, I will be happy to pass them along. >> [laughter] >> And additional details can be provided upon request including copies of the policy updates, the letter sent to families that I just mentioned and um there's also a news article in regards to um the Hartford public school situation. Um A CREC meeting was held yesterday afternoon. However, due to work commitments I was unable to attend and the recording wasn't released um by afternoon today so I wasn't able to watch it unfortunately. So I will report on that meeting um at the next board meeting. And uh the CREC's annual meeting and awards presentation will take place on May 20th at the Bushnell and will include a celebration of CREC's 60th anniversary. And that's it. >> Stop. >>

104Any questions or comments for Ms. Morfea? All right. Thank you very much. Number 16, school safety. >> Uh we did not meet. >> Number 17, technology. >> I also did not meet. >> I don't remember who's technology. >> No report. Yeah, no report. Thank you. And number 18, voice committee. >> Okay, that's me again. Um Yesterday the voice committee held its latest meeting continuing our focused work to strengthen our school committee community in meaningful and measurable ways. Mrs. Duran and Dr. Diaz provided updates on teacher development and ongoing training efforts reinforcing the district's commitment to continuous growth in the instructional instructional practice. I'm sorry, it's a long day. We [snorts] also discussed curriculum and the reviving of cross-district committee that will begin meeting in the fall. Ensuring representation from all schools and a more aligned

105inclusive approach moving forward. Um, and Mrs. Duran also will be presenting something tonight in regards to that. >> [clears throat] >> Um, the committee reviewed the use of DESE systems as a tool to identify students who may be exhibiting social emotional or mental health concerns. This work remains a prior priority and we are committed to using data thoughtfully to to better support our students. A significant portion of the discussion centered on elevating student voice. Um, we reflected on the recent civility assemblies and the feedback shared by students. Their our ideas were thoughtful, honest, and um, we plan on trying to implement some of their ideas into future planning um, and decision-making. Um, but I know there is many of us that were really surprised at how at some of the comments made by students and

106their ideas. I was very impressed with that. Um, we also reaffirmed that community involvement is essential. This work cannot move forward in isolation. We're committed to creating a space for ongoing dialogue and to ensuring that community voices directly inform our next steps. Our next Voice Committee meeting will take place on June 22nd and we strongly encourage community members to attend, share their experiences, and help shape the direction of this work forward. >> That's it. >> Thank you very much. Any questions or comments for Ms. Morfea? All right, very good. Thank you very much for these committee reports. Moving on, we have no unfinished business, but we can move on to new business, which number 19, Mr. LaMontagne, come on up because it looks like you will be speaking about Rocky Hill High School new traffic

107flow pattern. >> Good evening. Yes, um Dr. Zito asked me to speak to this um more of an an informational thing um item to the board. Um the town has been receiving numerous complaints about parking on um Carol Drive and U-turns on Mountain um Mountain View. So, our students haven't been doing anything illegal. They're They're There is There's They can park there if they want. Um This came to light um during the heavy winter snows when the town was um offloading some of their snow into Sunny Crest where a lot of our juniors do park because we don't have adequate parking um in the high school lot. So, that was full, so they started taking it upon themselves to park wherever they can park. So, um the town, you know, as a courtesy um had

108us involved in some conversations to um see what would work. I mean, this really is not a decision to be made by the Board of Education or the schools. We can't discipline students for parking on Carol Drive. Um but they do want to try and limit the traffic in that area and the parking. So, um I know it might be hard to see and I'm happy to send this out um with my bi-weekly report tomorrow so you have it in front of you. Um so, they're going to um during the school hours um um 7:00 at 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. and then again 3:00 p.m. um actually is that it? That's actually They have the wrong time there, but at the close of school, they're going to make um Mount a sec- Mountain View a

109um a one-way so that the parents that are actually doing the U-turns and picking up the kids in that location cuz they sort of like to not go in the into the proper lane in front of the building to pick up their their their students, but so that's going to become one way. Um there'll be no parking along Carol and the uh rest of Mountain View um during um the those same time frames during the day. Um so and there's going to be no left turn from Parsonage onto Chapin Ave heading from the side of the street. Um so that you're going to have to head um head down from you know, the um Orchard area and and then and take a right onto Parsonage to to go into the um into the the parent

110drop-off lane in the morning. Um you know, they still have to go through some of their committees as well, but we wanted to um inform you now that this is cuz you will receive receive phone calls, I'm sure. Um and then we just wanted to keep you in the loop as we proceed with this. Um no notifications will go out. This will be for the start of next school year. Um so we'll inform people then. You have a question. >> I do have a question only because so I'm if I'm understanding this correctly, so if I'm dropping my child off, I'm coming down Chapin, I'm going into the circle to drop them off appropriately and then back out, I can take a right I mean a left turn out of that circle, correct? And then

111head back down the street if I have a child that's over at GMS? >> No. >> I cannot? >> You can't do that now. >> I have to go up and around? >> You're supposed to take a right and go around. There's no left turn out of there anyway, so you're you're you're number one rule breaker. >> [laughter] >> Can I just say this is why I don't drop my children off at school? >> And we appreciate [laughter] that because we have a we have empty bus seats. So I mean >> Um no, they do take the bus every day except for on the rare occasion and I do not like drop-off because of that um because it's very confusing. Okay, so so we that to the parents? >> about a parent. So what you're

112basically telling me is that if a parent drops off at the high school and then tries to make their way to GMS, they are not taking a left onto Parsonage. They're going to have to go all the way around town to go back to >> They've never Yeah, so there's no left out of the parent drop-off now. >> Okay. >> It's It's actually too sharp of a turn. >> go up past the >> to have to go up toward toward Elm >> Okay. >> and um street and and and you know, and go in that direction. >> Okay, this is definitely not easy for parents, but okay. That's fine. >> actually a lot of this um started with COVID. I mean, parents just were dropping off um you know, and actually in the the student

113parking, we just know that that so they they are going that the town did say that they will make sure that there are spots at Sunny Crest available. I mean, we're not >> We're not assigning them to anybody, but we're encouraging the kids that who that the juniors that do want to drive to park there. >> I mean, it's hard when you get your license and you >> this time of year, we're we're we're getting you know, there's a lot of new drivers. >> It's a weird time of year, yeah. >> So it's you know, it you know, there there might be a little bit of tweaking, but we wanted to let you know that that something will be done. Um you know, there's been a lot of complaints from Carol Drive this year. A

114lot of complaints. >> Okay. >> So um you know, in the town does does want to try and and solve this. I mean, we have traffic issues at all of our buildings for for for drop-off and pick-up. >> Yes, we do. >> So we're we're working on all of them in some way, shape, or form, but this is the first one that they've developed and it's probably going to move forward. >> And this will be sent out to parents in writing in the next school year? >> It'll be for the next Yeah, so over the summer as as we know for sure that it's happening. Just just it's informational. I mean, the street signs are going to be It's going to be marked. I mean, we just want to give them a heads-up and say,

115"Hey, this is going to be different now." Cuz they're so used to doing what they're doing now. >> Yes. Okay. Any other questions? Mr. Addy. >> More more of a comment as a resident of Mountain View Drive. >> [laughter] >> Um this is phenomenal to see some action actually being taken place because uh I have kids that walk and or bike and that curve there is >> It [snorts] is. It's a It's a safety concern, too, so. >> afraid I I'd hate to knock on wood something happens before something gets done. So, uh I've actually driving living where I live, it's a nightmare leaving in the morning between GMS traffic and uh the high school traffic, but uh I've actually had a point where a kid almost walked into my car cuz he had his

116head down and just got out of his parents' car and just walked straight and almost right into my path. So, uh fortunately I know to go slow through there, but there are people that do not go slow. So, um it's going [clears throat] to take some time to to get people on board with this, but I'm glad to see something is happening. >> Great. Thank you, Mr. Addy. Any other questions or comments? >> Take the bus. >> Okay. Yes, we we do we do encourage you to take the bus for sure. Um but [clears throat] this is uh good information to get us ready for next school year. All right. Thank you very much, Mr. LaMontagne. Moving on to agenda item number 20. Um Dr. Nozik, um am I starting with you to speak for

117a little bit about the annual healthy food certification and then okay, very good. Thank you so much. >> All right. Uh so, we did we do this every year, but um we have a number of new board members and so, I wanted to make sure that uh everybody understands this. The Rocky Hill Public Schools participates in the National School Lunch Program and therefore must submit a healthy food certification statement by July 1 each year. This certifies that all food items sold to students separately from reimbursement meals will meet Connecticut nutrition standards. Section 10-215F of the Connecticut General Statutes requires that each local Board of Education or governing authority for all Connecticut public school districts participating in the National School Lunch Program must take action annually to certify whether all food items sold to students will

118or will not meet the Connecticut nutrition standards. Uh Mr. Kosker, I did think of you when I was reviewing this. And the question uh and if in case anyone wants to know why, why do we want to certify this? Um that means we get an extra 6 cents per meal uh if we're healthy food certified. And to date we have served 216,000 meals as of today uh at 6 cents each, that's about $13,000. And uh by the end of the year should be uh about the total of $16,000 uh for being healthy food certified. Uh you're going to have two votes tonight. The first is whether or not we want to continue to be uh healthy food certified. And then if so, um then uh whether or not we want uh to allow exemptions. Um

119and we do allow exemptions so that um after-school activities and things like that can still uh can get different foods and and whatnot. So with that, uh I'll leave it uh for our motion. >> Okay. So, can [clears throat] I please have a motion for um We're going to do it's the first one, right? >> Yeah. >> Um for the Yeah, healthy food certification for 20 >> Yep. >> 2026-2027, sorry, school year. >> Okay. So, pursuant to uh Connecticut General Statute Section 10-215F, the Rocky Hill Board of Education certifies that all food items offered for sale to students in the schools under its jurisdiction and not exempted [clears throat] from the Connecticut nutrition standards published by the Connecticut State Department of Education will comply with the Connecticut nutrition standards during the period of July 1,

1202026 through June 30, 2027. This certification shall include all food offered for sale to students separately from reimbursable meals at all times and from all sources including but not limited to school stores, vending machines, school cafeterias, culinary programs, and any fundraising activities on school promise school premises sponsored by the school or non-school organizations and groups. Yes or no? >> Um Oh, well, yes, so all in favor of that. >> Second the motion. >> Oh. >> She made the motion, right? >> I made the >> I'm sorry. Um yes, you made the motion. Sorry. Second the motion, please. Can I please have a second? >> Second. >> Ms. Morfea, okay. Uh questions or comments about it first and foremost. I probably have to do that, right? Anybody have any questions or comments about it? Okay, beautiful.

121Um so, all in favor of that motion, um >> I. >> Yes, okay. Any opposed? Any abstentions? No, okay. Motion passes. And then our second motion, please. >> Okay, so the Rocky Hill Board of Education will allow the sale of students up of food items that do not meet Connecticut nutrition standards and beverages not listed in section 10-221q of the Connecticut General Statutes provided that the following conditions are met. One, that the sale is in connection with an event occurring after the end of the regular school day or on the weekend or and two, [clears throat] the sale is at the location of the event and three, the food and beverage items are not sold from a vending machine or school store. An event is an occurrence that involves more than just a regularly scheduled

122practice, meeting, or extracurricular activity. For example, soccer games, school plays, and interscholastic debates are events are events, but soccer but soccer practices, play rehearsals, and debate team meetings are not. The regular school day is the period from midnight before to 30 minutes after the end of the official school day. Location means where the event is being held and must be the same place as the food and beverages sales. >> Can I have a second? >> Second. >> Mr. Kosker, thank you so much. Are there any questions or comments about motion number two? Okay, all in favor. >> Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Okay, motion passes. Very good. Thank you so much. Moving on to agenda item number 21. Um These are the policies that um Ms. Jedanowitz had just spoken about recently. Um the first

123um actually was in our past um Board of Ed meeting, but it is the guidelines to change the class sizes. Um this is policy number 6120, and this is a second read for that. So, we are going to vote on that tonight. Um this is uh guidelines for class sizes to be changing effective um starting for kindergarten in the '26-'27 school year, grade one um in the '27-'28 school year, along with grades two through three and four through five. Any questions or comments before I Okay, go ahead, Mr. Collins. Go ahead. >> I thought we were phasing that out more. That all happening next year. >> I think the original conversation was to have K1 this coming school year in 2026-2027 and grade one was bumped because kindergarten if you are adding a kindergarten you

124are also adding a paraprofessional as well and so if we are having two teachers in the budget that's two paraprofessionals and there was no more money left. >> But I know I know. It wasn't about next year. It was It was a 2027-2028. I thought we were phasing the grades >> No. >> with three and four and five out a little further. >> I don't No, I don't recall that. >> Yeah, I think it was a two-year thing. It was like a the two grades K K and one next year. >> Yeah, I could be wrong. I just looked at it. I thought we were It was going further. >> Ms. Alfredo, if it's okay, can we just read just so the public hears the numbers cuz you didn't list like the actual class sizes

125that we're voting on just so they hear that numbers. Thanks. >> Um sure. The following will serve as guidelines for the maximum number of students for each instructional group at each grade level. So this is just a guideline. Um kindergarten would be going to 18 and grade one would be 20 grades two through three would be 22 grades four through five 25 six through eight 25 and nine through 12 25. Some classes may be adjusted based on the number of student stations student state guidelines for square footage per pupil and supervisory health and safety matters. >> And just to just to fill in the details on that and then to the point that Mr. Clements was making some of those are going to decrease in the 2027-2028 years. So I'm just going to read those

126quickly if I might. >> Yes, go ahead, please. >> so for for first grade in the 2027-2028 year it will go down from 20 and decrease to 18. And then for grades two and three it decreases from 22 down to 20. And then for grades four and five, it decreases from 25 down to 23 for the 27-28 year. So, that was the point that Clement Ms. Clement was making. Thanks. >> Thank you. Any [clears throat] other questions or comments? Okay. Um so, may I have a motion, please? >> I'll make a motion to um approve policy 6120. >> Thank you. Can I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. Uh all in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? >> No. >> Any abstentions? Okay, excellent. Very good. All right, we're moving on to policy

127number 5200. And this is the policy that Mrs. Duda Mrs. Duda, I know it's just spoke about in the admission to public schools um at or before age five. Um and again, this was a second read as well. And so, we are voting on this uh to take effect um in the 27-28 school year. Any questions or concerns before we move on? No. Okay. Um can I have a motion? >> Uh I will make a motion to adopt policy 5200. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Ms. Morfea. Um all in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Any abstentions? Okay, motion passes. Very good. Thank you so much. All right, moving on to agenda item number 22, Ms. Durand. Um I know last night that you had spent some time at

128our voice meet meeting um and I do appreciate you being there. But tonight, I know you are also here to talk about the diversity inclusion for um a diversity and excellence, excuse me, um for the 20 25-2026 school year. >> You have 3 minutes. >> I have 3 minutes. >> I'm kidding. Everyone talked for like an hour. I'm like >> All right. >> Take all the time you want, Mr. >> Thank you, Mr. LaFredo. I will try to speak quickly, but also um do want to give this This is an important topic, and I don't want to um rush over anything, so um good evening, everyone, and thank you for the opportunity this evening to share with you just some of the rich diversity that we have in our district and the ways in which

129we celebrate and support our student community. In Rocky Hill, we are blessed to have a growing population of multilingual learners across all five of our schools. Each year, I share this data as part of our student achievement. Tonight, I'm sharing it with you to emphasize the extent to which this cohort of students has grown over the past 4 years. It is equally interesting to see that our students come from a wide variety of places. And before I I the next slide is going to show where they come from, but I'm going to go back to this for just 1 second because I want you to notice the growth over the past 4 years. And it is significant, and earlier this evening um the board, thankfully, did make the decision to um add a position at

130GMS for our ML students as those um students have been sharing a certified teacher between the middle school and high school. So, um I know that our staff at both of those schools and our students and families um thank you for that and will benefit greatly from that decision. What I find really very interesting on this slide is that it illustrates the rich diversity within Rocky Hill. Our students and families represent over 25 different countries. Supporting students from across so many different countries is both rewarding and challenging. Our district is intentional about finding ways to highlight the unique cultures that are represented across our student body. Our students speak over 30 distinct languages. Just give you a second to take this in. The graphic shows the rich diversity of our student um body. The linguistic

131richness fosters a deeper sense of global awareness and understanding, which enriches the educational experience for every student in Rocky Hill. Students have the opportunity to participate in an assessment each year to receive what is called the Connecticut Seal of Biliteracy. To educate I'm sorry. The Connecticut Seal of Biliteracy is an award established in 2017, recognizing high school graduates who demonstrate proficiency in English and one or more additional languages. It is affixed to diplomas and transcripts to honor bilingualism, enhance college applications, and boost future employment prospects. This year we had a total of 25 students achieve this accomplishment in the languages listed on this slide. Each year we utilize Title III funds to host our ML Family Night. This event is an opportunity for our families to make connections to one another and to the different

132organizations within our community. Here are a few pictures from this year's event held at West Hill School and organized by our four ML teachers and myself. Our elementary schools are committed to enriching the curriculum by regularly hosting interactive cultural assemblies that spotlight different cultures from around the world. These assemblies offer students first-hand immersive experiences that connect to our community's rich diversity. Actually, earlier this evening, I some of these pictures may have been in the Stevens presentation because this comes from Miss O'Brien who um participated or who was able to receive the grant for the Mexican music and dance assembly. Over the course of the school year, um our principals and teachers highlight different cultural months. So, when you walk the halls of the schools, you can see displays that are hung to educate and remind

133students as well as um student work that demonstrates their learning of different cultures. This year, Judge Claudia Bayo visited Mosier School to share the story of Ruby Bridges during Black History Month. And the high school highlighted famous women throughout history in the display included on this slide. As spring arrived, we acknowledge several different spring holidays celebrated across our district. For For instance, West Hill kindergarten students participated in creating crafts for Holi, Eid, Passover, and Easter. While our middle school student, Rayhan Matinagard, wrote and published a beautifully written piece in the Griswold Gazette sharing the traditions of Ramadan and the two Eids. And Miss Wierciak is here this evening. She is our Griswold Gazette um advisor and did a wonderful job um guiding the students. If you look, it's kind of small print, but you'll be

134able to see it at your seats. Um, this beautiful student interview. It It was It goes on for quite a a lengthy um interview, but it was so informative and um I think wonderful for um the students to be sharing that with one another in their school newspaper. In a In a fantastic display of our community's talent, Ms. O'Brien shared her skills in Irish dance with Steven School students in March. But, she also provided a session on our wellness professional development day in February for staff. Sadly, I don't have any photos of our staff to share from that event. But, however, the focus on learning from each other and celebrating the diverse talents of our staff members has truly been one of the highlights of our professional development sessions this school year. >> [cough and

135clears throat] >> So, when we discuss diversity, it goes beyond culture and race. Gender is also important as an important component of diversity. Our Women in Action event is made possible due to the funding we receive each year as part of the Open Choice program, which highlights diversity within Connecticut school districts. Ms. Viviana Guzman and Ms. Lisa Urso organized this event, which introduced a room full of female high school students to 10 women across a wide variety of professions. These successful women shared their journeys and spoke to the importance of leadership for women in their respective fields. Students had the valuable opportunity to ask individual questions after the panel discussion, fostering meaningful connections and mentorship. Dr. Nosek did a wonderful job this year organizing organizing our Moja Master Chef competition. I'm going to ask Miss

136Dr. Nozik to come on over. Um this year Dr. Diaz, Aaron Harold from the Dream Cafe, Mayor Alan Smith, and myself all had the good fortune to be judges in this competition. So, I've asked Dr. Nozik to share a little bit more about the event that he organized and planned. >> I asked if I could do it from my seat and she said, "No." The district hosted its annual future chef competition for students in grades 1 through 5 at Moja school on March 16th. This year's theme, Passport to Flavor, emphasized cultural appreciation and diversity, encouraging elementary students to explore global cuisines by creating original recipes inspired by dishes from around the world. Through this process, students learned about different cultures, traditions, and the ingredients, helping to build awareness and respect for the diverse backgrounds represented

137within our school community. >> [clears throat] >> More than a cooking contest, the event promoted creativity, cultural understanding, and healthy eating habits. Students developed and presented their own recipes, which were judged on originality, ease of preparation, healthy attributes, taste, presentation, and kid-friendliness. We featured a couple of Italian dishes, including a sage butter gnocchi. Is that how you say gnocchi? My grandmother would kill me for that. Um and gnocchi and a delicious pasta carbonara. We also explored flavors from India with two dishes, Salmon on Fire, which I actually made at home, um just a little bit less fire, uh and papri chaat. From West West Africa, specifically the country of Benin, we enjoyed Uevo Doko, which was a traditional sweet pastry. And our winning chef, Chef Michael, prepared an incredible crispy, tasty latke, a dish that

138originated in Eastern European Jewish communities. >> Thank you, Dr. Nosek. And I would highly recommend, board members, if you have the opportunity to be a judge, this was my one of the highlights of my year so far. It was fantastic to be a part of. Um so GMS Common Ground is a club at GMS that that does prioritize inclusivity. We have other clubs as well, but this one is one that Ms. Matava is the advisor for, and she did a beautiful job interviewing She was interviewed by, again, the GMS Griswold Gazette, and she shared that the club is a place for everyone to find themselves. Both Ms. Kennedy and Ms. Matava alternate between team team-building games and making artistic crafts with the students. The club is in its fourth year, and each year there are

139about 40 students that join the club. They expect students to be kind, accepting, and inclusive with one another in order to create a safe place. In November, Common Ground created a thankfulness tree, and then encouraged others to add to it. You can see how it grew with Mr. Maziarz adding to the tree. Another wonderful way in which Rocky Hill Public Schools celebrate student diversity is through our Unified Sports, Art, and Theater programs, where regular and special education students come together around sport and artistic expression. Pictured here are some of our students at a recent unified sports event. YAM, which stands for our Youth Art Month, is another event that I wanted to include a few pictures of because our students' work, as well as the jazz band, and the departments of both the art and

140music departments across the district are constantly exposing our students to a wide variety of cultures through artistic expression. Throughout the entire K-12 curriculum, students are exposed to global representations of artists' work. Here's a few more pictures. And then that could See, it wasn't that bad, right, Mr. Pasquale? >> That's pretty good. >> Thank you. Short and sweet and concise. But it does give you a nice overview of what we are doing across many different cl- parts of our school district to support diversity, and we talked a lot at last night about what we're doing as part of the VOICE Committee, but these are things that have been happening in our district each year, and it's important to take the time to recognize those things, and also to um really make sure that we are giving

141our staff and our students the recognition that they deserve for the efforts that they're making to make our school community as inclusive as possible. So, I'm happy to take any questions and and answer any questions that you may have. >> Any questions? Okay. All right. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Moving on to agenda item number 23 in term Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Student Services report, Dr. Diaz Santiago. >> Good evening. Rocky Hill has purpled up this evening, so I I want to thank everyone. This is in support of our military families. Being a military mom and having my my young son in the Navy, uh this is near and dear to me, so thank you so much. Um I would like to give a brief update from the Human Resource Department.

142I recently attended the Central Connecticut State University Education Recruitment Fair. I had a blast. I had an opportunity to connect with many promising future educators. Um did a few, you know, mock interviews, as well as colleagues from neighboring schools. So, it was really nice to connect with my colleagues that night. Um from the Special Education office, we're excited to share that the Dream Cafe is preparing for its first annual spring fling on Saturday, May 2nd from 9:00 to 1:00 in the afternoon. And the event will feature student-made crafts, uh summer sips and veggie dips with a live recipe demonstration, a lemonade mocktail bar, and musical performances by the Rocky Hill High School Hilltunes. We're also proud to host a special book signing with Dream uh Academy student Antonio Cristofaro, who's featuring his book Chef Antonio

143and his magic spoon. So, we encourage our community to join us and celebrate this incredible work um and talents of our students. As part of our civility framework and our continued commitment to diversity and excellence, we administered a student survey to grades 4 through 12 to gather feedback on the Pine Spring civility assemblies at all our schools. These assemblies led by Jamaal Thompson from Hoops for Life focus on moving from the message that words matter to taking action through our words and behaviors. Overall student feedback was very positive. Students also expressed a strong interest in engaging more deeply through small group up-opportunities highlighting the importance of student voice, agency, and choice in this work. Um I would like to recognize Danielle Galligan for her work in developing a presentation that is that capture all of

144these experiences um of students during these assemblies. So, I would appreciate if at this time we can share a brief video that will all enjoy. Anyone? And up, there we go. >> [music] [music] >> Say it out loud one time. I can take you to the river. The walking dead. >> Okay, hear >> Take me >> Everybody >> to the river. The walking dead. The walking >> To help lift someone when they're feeling down, what can you do? >> Give them a hug. >> Wow. >> [screaming] [applause] >> I almost want to hug you. That was a great answer. Let's give Leo a round of applause. >> Um so that's just a great video showing students enjoying the assembly with Mr. Thompson. Um this concludes my presentation for this evening and I am very happy

145to answer any questions that you may have. Any questions? Okay, thank you very much. Yes, it was a great video by the way. Great video. All right, moving on. Uh agenda item number 24, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations, Dr. Nozik. >> All right. Uh we have uh in your packets uh the financial report reflecting year-to-date figures for the month ending March 31st, 2026 and I have highlighted the following accounts. Uh line item 114 salaries or sub teacher account is currently reflecting a deficit uh due to the need to utilize daily subs. Line item 205 Medicare is also currently reflecting a deficit due to the need to employ additional staff beyond our original projections. Line item 210 group insurance, that's a big one for us, uh is currently reflecting a deficit due to the changes

146in coverage as well as um last year's increase coming in after the board had adopted the budget. Line 235 pension non-certified is also currently reflecting a deficit due to unanticipated pension cost associated with new employee hires. Line 516 transportation special education outplacements uh currently reflecting a deficit due to the need to transport additional students. And then the other significant line is 561 tuition in and out of district. That is currently reflecting a deficit around $450,000. This includes tuition for both magnet schools and students with special education needs. Again, we received the first of two excess cost reimbursements that has been applied to this account already. It's anticipated we'll receive an additional check for about $250,000 in June, which will leave the account with a deficit of approximately 205,000 for fiscal year 25-26. Obviously, we're going

147to continue to monitor this uh even more closely as we get closer to the end of June. Any questions? >> Any questions for Dr. Nozak? >> Uh just one. I know you look at these the numbers >> [clears throat] >> roughly $500,000 500 actually 500,044. Um well, what's that going to be as far I mean, obviously it's going to go up. Next few months and what's that impact on the overall budget? >> You're talking about the the two of the total. >> The total deficit of everything you just went through is roughly $550,000. >> The two big ones, yep. >> The total >> Well, we have we have offsets in uh for example, salaries certified staff should be to the plus about 229,000. Um also salaries paraprofessionals is to the plus 114,000. So, there are

148some accounts that currently do have uh enough to cover us. Uh As I if you recall during the budget workshops, you know, we can be close, but we can't be over by even a dollar. So, right now projecting uh we're we're good uh to about uh 100,000 or so. Uh as my projection as of, you know, uh honestly I looked at it yesterday. So, as of yesterday we're we're doing okay. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Any other questions or comments? Okay. Thank you, Dr. Nozik. Moving on to agenda item number 25, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Ms. Rand. >> I just have two additional items to share. Um I just wanted to mention to the board that we are when we return from April break, we do enter our testing season. We have um

149students taking all of the state mandated [clears throat] testing um over the course of the next several weeks. And tomorrow we begin our Teacher of the Year process. So, that's exciting. That's it. >> Thank you very much. It's very exciting. Um and uh agenda item number 26, Superintendent Dr. Zito, I will turn the microphone to you. >> Thank you very much. So, um just a reminder that we have our budget presentation to the Town Council on May 5th. Uh and then I want to uh inform the community that earlier this evening I met with the board and informed them of my um retirement from Rocky Hill schools and from public education, which will be effective August 1st after 14 years of service here in the district. Um I really want to thank our amazing students

150and families here in this town. It's been a a pleasure working here. Really the uh greatest honor of my professional career to be here in Rocky Hill. I want to thank uh again those families who have been just fantastic and uh really supportive of the whole school district uh throughout the years. Uh we have a really supportive Board of Education. Um Each chair I've worked with, including you uh Ms. LaFredo, it's been a pleasure. Um you as a as a teacher I've welcomed your perspective. You've you've helped me see things from the classroom teacher perspective that I think is really valuable in your role as as our chair. Uh each of the board members I've enjoyed working with you. Um Maria, you were on the board that hired me. Um You know, that was a

151long time ago and you're the only uh board member that uh >> Still standing. Still serving. >> [laughter] >> Credit to you for your longevity and your your outstanding um advocacy for kids all these years. Um I just want to recognize my colleagues throughout the district. Um In my letter uh to Ms. LaFredo I mentioned that uh I think I know just about everybody in the school system on a first first name basis and uh I've I would I think I've formed a long list of friendships and first name folks and I'm going to miss those interactions with those people on a daily basis. Uh Great leadership in our schools, great classroom teachers. I see some faces back there of people I've known for a long time and uh I will miss you guys and

152uh our team at the central office, you've been great to work with as well. So uh Still a lot of work to do. Uh we still have uh We're in the process of starting some administrative interviews in in the next tomorrow actually and then the following week we kick off another round. We're deep into the hiring process for a number of vacancies. We have several committee meetings coming up a couple more board meetings plus the the big time uh meeting on May 5th with the budget. So there's no slowing down at this point. We'll keep We'll keep working hard, but uh just wanted to get the word out there and I I do want to thank everybody for the support over the years. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Zito. Um the last agenda item

153is mine and I do want to um respond to Dr. Zito's um retirement um as well. Um but I do also want to thank everyone for sticking around tonight. It is well after 9:30 and um but as since our March meeting, we haven't met since March um and it was the beginning of March as well because we had uh adopted our budget, there's just been so much to celebrate and um was clearly worthy of recognition this evening um as you saw from our district celebrations. So thank you for hanging in there with us and celebrating with us. Um tonight as Dr. Diaz just uh mentioned uh short time ago as well, you can see a kind of sea of different colors of purple up here as well. Um it is in recognition of purple up

154for military kids day. Um this was a proclamation that actually was designated by Governor Ned Lamont as part of a month-long recognition honoring military children across the state. Boards of Ed were asked by the Connecticut Department of Education to wear purple during their April meeting. Um the color purple purple recognizes the strength and sacrifices made by our military families and their children and we truly thank them for their service. Um Dr. Diaz, thank you to your son for his service in our uh Navy. Thank you. Um I as well um as Dr. Zito mentioned uh encourage the community to attend um in person here in this room or watch on YouTube the board's presentation of the 2026-2027 operating budget to the town council, which will be Tuesday, May 5th at 5:30. This is an important

155opportunity to hear the staffing requests that we have for next year, and to stay informed about the supports our students and our schools need. Um, and lastly, I just want to acknowledge tonight's retirement announcement by Dr. Zito. Over the past 14 years, Rocky Hill Public Schools have benefited from his steady leadership, his clear vision, and unwavering dedication. He's worked with five board chairs, including myself, during this time to move our district forward. Dr. Zito, thank you for your commitment to the Rocky Hill Public Schools and for the lasting impact that you have made on this community. And as Dr. Zito just said, we're not saying goodbye yet. Because we have so much to look forward to with our graduating class over the next, I think I counted right, not that anyone is really counting, right?

15638 days of school that are left. So, we have much to do, many more committee meetings, more Board of Ed meetings, um, and certainly a wonderful send-off for our graduating class. However, the Board of Education is now charged with the very important responsibility of conducting a thorough and thoughtful search for a new superintendent of schools. This is a responsible responsibility, excuse me, that we take very seriously, and we are committed to keeping our community informed and involved throughout this lengthy process. The community will be getting updates from me, um, either at a board meeting here, but also across Parent Square, if need be. Uh, we would like to keep you in loop. Together, we will stay grounded on what is mattering most to all of us, which is to support our students, our staff, with

157values rooted in prioritizing aca- academic excellence, social emotional well-being, and a commitment to lifelong learning. So, there's more to come. I know this was a long meeting. Is there anything that anyone else wishes to state this evening before I look for a motion motion to adjourn? No? Okay, motion to adjourn, please. >> Motion. >> Thank you, Mr. Addy. Can I have a second? Thank you, Mr. Clemens. Thank you so much. All in favor, I know we're all ready to get out of here. It is ready to go. Motion passes. Thank you.