There’s a new addition to the Bee Family! For those who have noticed our Education Editor has been unavailable in recent weeks, now we can officially share the good news: Eliza Van and her husband Ky are celebrating the birth of a beautiful boy they’ve named Kayden. While many were busy waiting for the kickoff for a big football game on February 12, Eliza and Ky were watching for an even more important milestone. See page B-7 for the full birth announcement (or find a print edition if you’re reading this online, because the photo is worth it), and join us in sharing our joy with the newest member of Team Bee.

Our congratulations this week to Sandy Hook resident Kyle Keeping, who was one of 17 people to graduate from the City of Waterbury Fire Department’s training program into a full-time firefighting position. Kyle was a member of Recruit Class 22-15 celebrated on February 15 during a Recruit Class Graduation and Officer Promotional Ceremony at Kennedy High School. Family and friends of the recruits filled the high school auditorium that evening, proudly watching their recruits take a huge step in their careers. Kyle has been a member of Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company (SHVFR) for nine years and currently serves as one of that company’s engineers. Fourteen fellow SHVFR members were among those cheering for Kyle. We add our applause to this achievement, as well.

Want to celebrate St Patrick’s Day with a dance this year? Christina and Craig Ashurst can help. Space is still available for Jig For Hope, a special event being hosted by The Ashurst Academy of Irish Dance that will serve as a fundraiser for The Tommy Fund. Christina and Craig are inviting most ages (age 4 and up) to join them on Saturday, March 11, at 10 am, for a 45-minute class that will raise funds for The Tommy Fund. Suggested donation is $5 per dancer, which will be forwarded directly to the fund that has since 1953 been supporting families whose children are undergoing cancer treatments. The Ashurst studio is at 3 Simm Lane, within Suite 3L1. Online registration is required and can be done through dancestudio-pro.com/online/ashurstirishdance. Call the studio at 203-928-0689 for additional information.

Amazon’s charitable donation program AmazonSmile ended on February 20. It left many local nonprofits looking for an alternative way to raise funds. Kitten Associates of Sandy Hook notified its followers on Facebook that it would now be using iGive.com. On February 21, Kitten Associates posted, “Now that AmazonSmile is gone, if you’d still like to make a difference when you shop, use iGive. Sign-up is easy. Just choose Kitten Associates after you log in. There’s a $5 New Member Shopping Bonus, too! So join now and when you make your first purchase within 30 days, iGive provides an extra $5 bonus for Kitten Associates.”

That same day, Connecticut Audubon Society put a call out to the public for help with important environmental issues being considered in Hartford. The group is asking people to encourage their elected representatives to vote for bills that are good for conservation. If you want to participate, you can sign-up to get Action Alerts via text. Connecticut Audubon Society also has a blog called Natural Selections that is free to subscribe to and has some purr-dy informative stuff.

The Newtown Bee office got into the Mardi Gras spirit this season with an impromptu fruit-forward celebration. Lynn Remson sent out an e-mail with the attached photo that read, “Spud Orleans and his sidekicks Mardi-tine and L’Onion have brought a bunch of friends to the masquerade! Enjoy a fruity friend (on the free counter) ... e-mail or drop off your fun, imaginative name(s) today and I’ll send out a roster tomorrow!” The following day, a list was presented with these fruit-tastic names: Edgar Allan Pomme, EvanTangerine, Clèmèntine de Citrus, Monsieur Pulpe, Othello Orange, Archibald Potato, Kenny the Kiwi, Sweet Calliope, Antoine Apple, Dixie Dicot, Juicy Jazz, Emeril Edible, Saint Citrus, King Mandarin, Banana Foster, Ms Honey Crisp, Apple Beignet, Sergeant Gumbo, and Pomme Rouge.

As announced last week, the evening movies at Edmond Town Hall will be starting just a little bit later as of this month. Due to the popularity of the morning and afternoon Theater Party rentals — the latter of which run until 6:30 pm — evening screenings at 45 Main Street will now begin at 7:30 pm. The new policy went into effect March 1, and will begin really next weekend when the ETH Theater presents The Whale. The film that features what so many have called a career-defining performance by Brendan Fraser (who, if you’ve also not heard, has picked up multiple awards for his work in the late 2022 release) will be screened March 9-10 and 12. See our calendar listings on page A-2 and on our website for details.

Congratulations to the local runners who recently participated in the IRIS 5K For Refugees. The mid-February event in New Haven was presented as a fundraiser to benefit Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, whose mission is to help refugees with housing, employment, health, education, and legal assistance in order to become self-sufficient as they establish a new life for themselves and their families. A team from Newtown Interfaith Partnership for Refugee Resettlement, which shares the same mission, raised a little more than $1,000 for IRIS when it participated in the event on Super Bowl Sunday.

Trinity Episcopal Church in Newtown has upcoming dates for the two “You Are Not Alone” support groups it launched this winter. The next Grief Support Group will be Thursday, March 16, from 4 to 5:15 pm. The Caregiver Support Group will meet Thursdays, March 9 and 23, from 4 to 5:15 pm. Both take place at the church, located at 36 Main Street, in its second floor library. The support groups are led by clergy and trained volunteers. Groups are interfaith and non-sectarian. People are encouraged to share their story, as well as receive and give support in a confidential, non-judgmental listening space. Register online for either group at trinitynewtownct.org/events.html.

Spring Break is just around the corner! What better way to spend it than with some Newtown Parks & Recreation April Break Camps? Children ages 6 to 11 can participate in Chemical Creations Camp, as well as 6-in-1 Space Fleet Robot Camp. Both are led by Minds in Motion and take place at Newtown Middle School. Children and teens ages 4 to 18 are eligible for Fox Ridge Farm’s Horseback Riding Camp. Also, Youth Tennis Camps are available for children ages 5 to 15. Classes are taught by Fairfield County Tennis at Dickinson Town Park. Call Parks & Recreation at 203-270-4340 for more information and register today.

It is never too early to start thinking about summer camps. The Newtown Bee will publish its first 2023 Camp Special on March 10, so be sure to mark your calendars. Readers will learn about local and regional programs, including an article highlighting recent state funding for free swim lessons. Be on the lookout, too, for the second special for summer camps and activities that comes out in April.

Readers will note a new name among our bylines this week, coinciding with the opening of a new regional theater production. We welcome Matt Austin to the ranks of those who have shared their writing skills with us. Matt will be picking up some regional theater reviews for us, beginning with his thoughts on the just-opened Freud’s Last Session at TheatreWorks New Milford. Matt has done work within the regional theater community for years, on stage and behind the scenes. He is also the co-creator and co-host of Cocktails and Curtain Calls, the very enjoyable program broadcast via Spectrum TV well before and even during the COVID-19 pandemic. In that later project, Matt worked with Beth Young — yes, our theater reviewer Beth Young, who plans to return this year to share her theater reviewing talents, on a limited basis — to spread awareness of the incredible wealth of local theatrical venues and their projects. Matt’s first review can be found in print and online this week. We welcome him, and hope you will too.

I also hope you will once again promise to… Read me again.