Rotary Honors Students For The Month Of November

The Newtown Rotary presented five area students with the Newtown Rotary Student of the Month award at a recent ceremony held at the Fireside Inn. Rotarian Paul Lux and Reed Intermediate School Assistant Principal Tony Salvatore presented the awards.

Justin Cherry, a fifth grader at Reed School, was recommended as a recipient for his hard work, excellent attitude, and continuous academic improvement. Earlier in the year Justin’s teachers were concerned that the transition from the elementary school to the intermediate school might be too overwhelming for him. However after discussing expectations, responsibilities, and opportunities with his teachers, Justin flourished at Reed.

His teachers Al Washicko, Matt Dalton, Jean Pannone, and Kathleen Papp are proud to recognize Justin for turning his school career around in such a short amount of time since. His teachers congratulate Justin and encourage him to continue to keep up the good work.

Justin displays good organizational skills, he completes assignments on time, works well with peers in social as well as academic settings. Continuing to work hard each year in school is Justin’s personal achievement goal.

When he is not studying, Justin plays baseball. His favorite positions are pitcher and first base. He also enjoys playing basketball in the guard position. Justin has a pet tabby cat named Misha. He also makes time to attend St Rose Church activities.

Evan Wexler is described by his teacher Joan Cunningham as a model student. Evan is a fifth grader at Reed School. His teacher says that Evan arrives each day with a smile and gives every lesson his best effort. Evan is respectful to all his classmates and adults. One of his best characteristics is his ability to extend himself to help others in the classroom. He will quietly and patiently reexplain directions to a seatmate and is always willing to help others with a difficult math problem or a stuck locker. Evan shows concern and empathy when a classmate is upset.

Evan is especially interested in math, particularly the study of multiplication and square roots. He also enjoys playing basketball and likes to hang out with his cockapoo, Max.

Evan’s caring nature goes beyond the classroom. He regularly helps with setting up for dinners and breakfasts at temple with his family. This past summer he was part of a neighborhood group that set up a lemonade stand to raise money for hurricane victims. His group raised $750.

Patrick Binio is a seventh grade student at Newtown Middle School. He is very involved in the Boy Scouts and will have the honor of becoming a first class scout when he completes his emergency rescue-breathing course in the near future. As a Boy Scout, Patrick has performed Christmas carols at Ashlar, as well as worked through the night at his troop’s highway coffee stop on Columbus Day weekend. Recently he worked at a booth for a Hartford race to benefit cancer patients.

Patrick is a faithful member of the NMS Student Council, attending regularly and reporting back to his homeroom. He enjoys participating in the school orchestra where he plays the cello. Patrick enjoys art and puts his talents to practice on the NMS Literary Magazine. He is also a member of the school’s Ham Radio Club.

His teachers Fran Simone, Kathleen Dye, Sue Kurkul and Kathy Keating have this to say about Patrick:  “He is a fine student who is always ready to learn everyday and is pleasant to all. Patrick is a leader in the classroom, organizing and seeing tasks through to the end. We are proud to honor Patrick as our Rotary Student of the Month.”

Nicole Vournazos is an eighth grade honor roll student from Newtown Middle School. She resides with her parents, Constantine and Sophia, and her younger brothers Anthony and Steven.

Nicole volunteers for a number of organizations. As the president of the Newtown Middle School Rotary-sponsored Interact Club she takes the lead in organizing many fundraising events. Recently Nicole and her mother served tea in support of Ann’s Place, a cancer support center in Danbury. She volunteered to help with the recent benefit concert to raise money for hurricane victims.

Nicole participates in many sports activities such as tennis, volleyball, and a travel soccer team. She is a GATES (Gifted and Talented Education Services Program) student and a member of the school orchestra where she plays the violin.

Nicole’s teachers sum her up by saying, “Nicole is a polite, compassionate, creative young woman. Her selfless attitude is laudable and she continues to inspire adults and youth alike. There is no doubt in our minds that Nicole will become one of the future leaders of our country. Her dedication to the community is superior.”

John Tita, a sophomore at Newtown High School, personifies a hardworking individual. His teacher Kathy Smith said of John, “One of the joys of teaching two consecutive courses is that I am provided with the opportunity to watch the growth of individuals that I have come to care about by the end of the ninth grade. I had John last year as a freshman and again this year. My co-teacher, Joan Brand, and I were thrilled to have John again.” She continued to say that John is mature and very responsible about working on the tasks and assignments to meet deadlines.

Ms Smith continued saying, “The trait that I am most pleased with in John’s development is the skill that helps his writing, reading, and understanding the cornerstone of English. His ability to draw and articulate inferences has blossomed this year. To transition from literal to inferential is a quantum leap and John has made it successfully. To read his work with the background of last year’s is to see the growth that he has made. While shy and unassuming, John has reason to stand proud of what he has done. It bodes well for what he can accomplish in the next two years. The English department is grateful to the Rotary Club for providing the opportunity to recognize a student who has demonstrated growth and commitment to learning. Too often we do not reward those who are working diligently to be better than they were yesterday.”