NMS Awards Ceremony Honored Students And Teachers

By Nancy K. Crevier

With the heat wave over and school back in session, more than 900 Newtown Middle School seventh and eighth grade students gathered on the front lawn of the school Friday morning, June 13, to acknowledge the achievements of their peers, and to honor retiring teachers Bill Girard and Ray Shupenis.

“We are losing a lot of years of experience with the retirement of Bill and Ray,” said NMS Principal Diane Sherlock. “Bill Girard has been teaching for 40½ years and Ray Shupenis has been teaching for 35 years, and what is interesting is that for both of them, all of their experience was here in Newtown.”

In addition to teaching seventh grade math, Mr Girard spent his four decades coaching and mentoring the baseball, basketball, and softball teams for Newtown Middle School, said Ms Sherlock. Mr Shupenis most recently taught eighth grade math, but was also a social studies teacher at the school during the course of his career.

While eighth grade academic achievement awards such as the Middle School Scholars for the top 25 NMS students, Michael’s Jewelers Awards (given to one boy and one girl who has demonstrated academic and community effort), Sons of the American Revolution Award, the Ellen Rogers Award, and the Weller Foundation Award (to the top eighth grade academic student) were scheduled to be awarded at the NMS eighth grade moving up ceremony on June 19, there were plenty of other certificates to hand out to the seventh and eighth grade students during the two-hour ceremony that began at 11:30 am. Every cluster and every department at the school awards certificates, as well, to students who deserve recognition for their efforts.

“Most of the clubs and activities give out certificates of achievement to outstanding students that have taken part this past year,” Ms Sherlock said.

“It is hard to name just a few students or recognitions awarded when so many have been honored,” she continued. “It’s always wonderful to see so many kids being recognized.”