Wilton High School Students, Teachers and Alumni join together to create a virtual choir/orchestra and perform a mashup of Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What a Wonderful World.

I would like to extend my gratitude to our fine and performing arts teachers for all of their work with students in the remote learning environment this spring. Working with students who did not necessarily have their instruments or art materials during the closure period required additional creativity and flexibility, and our staff certainly rose to the occasion!  I hope you enjoy some of the finished products of the eLearning environment.  

“In My Life” Arr. by Darmon Meader - WHS Madrigals
Benediction - Owen Goldsmith - WHS Madrigals
“The Parting Glass” arr. by The Wallin’ Jennys -  WHS Madrigals
“The Longest Time” by Billy Joel - WHS Bottom Line
“Sing Your Way Home” by Joseph Martin - WHS Concert Choir
Mozart Symphony No. 12, 1st Movement - WHS Concert Orchestra
Edward Elgar's Serenade for Strings, 1st Movement - WHS Symphonic Orchestra

Tribute to Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck was an American jazz pianist and composer, and he was a longtime Wilton resident. Some of his most famous songs include “In your Own Sweet Way,” “Take Five,” and “The Duke.”  Earlier this school year, WHS art students learned about Dave Brubeck and listened to his music in class.  They reflected on the music they listened to in class and used that to inspire them to take photographs of musical instruments in their homes.  This project continued during the eLearning time period.  Congratulations to our students for celebrating Dave Brubeck and his contributions to American jazz. 

Recently, Wilton High School’s chamber singers recorded a beautiful rendition of The Parting Glass.  When you listen, you may find it hard to believe this collaboration was done remotely.  (Please note that this is an audio recording; there is not video.) Many thanks to WHS Director of Choral Activities Kevin Cotellese for coordinating this effort and sharing it with us!

Wilton High School Band Video - Recently, members our Wilton High School jazz ensemble submitted recordings of a piece they had been working on in school prior to the closure.  We hope you enjoy their at-home version of this special piece.  Many thanks to WHS Band Director Nick Loafman for editing all of the clips into one cohesive video!  

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4-8 -  By now, you have a better appreciation for what it means to be a teacher: the patience, preparation, creativity, content knowledge, the ability to motivate and inspire others - these are a few of the many skills teachers must possess.  If you have not already done so, I encourage you to reach out to your children’s teachers (past and present) to thank them for all that they do for Wilton’s children.  I’ve heard many parents and students acknowledge that they’ve never appreciated their schools or their teachers as much as they do now.  Let’s be sure to let our teachers know how much we value them.   

Cider Mill 4th Grader Ryland Hunt was inspired by his teacher to create a newspaper during the school closure. Rather than creating a print document, Ryland decided to publish his work online. He continues to post regularly and recently had his work featured in The Washington Post. Ryland’s newspaper has been viewed by readers from twelve countries across the globe, including Ecuador, Hungary, and Australia. Here's a link to Ryland's webpage. Congratulations to Ryland!

Once again, U.S. News and World Report have recognized Wilton High School as a “Best High School”.  This honor recognizes the leading high schools in the country. based on impressive outcomes on a number of measures, including math and English standardized assessments, a variety of college-level exams, and school graduation rates. We are proud to be ranked highly by multiple organizations, and we congratulate Wilton High School on this most recent recognition.

We are proud to announce that the U.S. Secretary of Education named Middlebrook School a 2020 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School. I have included a section of Wilton Go Green’s recent press release regarding this great honor.  
 
“Over the past five years, Middlebrook School has taken their role as pioneers in the sustainability movement very seriously. Middlebrook School’s robust initiatives and programs have become examples of success for neighboring schools and communities and … have created a wave of sustainability initiatives throughout Fairfield County schools.
 
Middlebrook School has met the criteria of the Three Pillars of Sustainability laid out by the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools program through a ground up approach that harnessed the power of students, teachers, and staff. The campaign towards sustainability at Middlebrook led to a behavior and policy change for district-wide composting and recycling … We are proud to report that this has resulted in the diversion of nearly 2,000 pounds of food waste per week across the district.”

Many of our students are joining or leading efforts to support our community during the coronavirus pandemic. It is likely that you've heard about or know people living in nursing homes who cannot receive visitors at this time.  In many cases, elderly residents of these facilities are confined to their rooms and apartments. In an effort to combat the sense of loneliness and isolation these residents must feel, people like Wilton High School student Rachel Slater have been visiting local facilities and serenading residents from the exterior of the building. Here is a heartwarming video of Rachel at work.

I would like to recognize a Wilton Public Schools parent who, among many in our town, continues to do great things to support first responders and those on the front line of the coronavirus response.  Lynn Martines has raised over $12,000 for this effort and arranges for meals to be sent to area hospitals, and the Wilton Fire and Police Departments. Many thanks to Lynn for all that she is doing.

As you know, many Wilton residents have donated time and resources to supporting essential workers in our town and neighboring towns.  I would like to recognize three community members who recently donated 40 handmade masks for distribution to our custodians, maintenance workers, and campus supervisors who continue to work onsite each day.  Our heartfelt thanks go to Amy Reuther, Julie Brenneke, and Jennifer Angerame for their generous donation of handmade masks and for their support during this challenging time.

You may know that our district has been awarded numerous honors for student-produced films and programs over the past several years.  Each school has its own news show - beginning with our youngest students at Miller-Driscoll.  Here is today’s at-home edition of the Miller-Driscoll Morning Show.

Wilton residents have organized efforts to support coronavirus-related needs in our community.  If you are interested in learning more or would like to help, please visit the link below. 
Warrior Helpers - Sign up to support the creation of personal protective equipment and the distribution of many other needed resources.

Once again, Wilton has been named one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” by the NAMM Foundation. This honor is due largely to our music educators, who help to produce such an impressive product year after year, shaping musicians who will appreciate and often perform music throughout their lives.  Kudos to our district’s music teachers! 

We are making connections with students in so many ways! If you are interested in seeing a touching video produced by Wilton High School staff for our students, please follow this link.