NHS Student Wins Math And Science Award

By Eliza Hallabeck

Paul Garofalo, a Newtown High School student, said he does not know who nominated him for Fairfield University and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation’s Excellence in Mathematics and Science Awards, but he recently accepted his recognition during a ceremony at Fairfield University.

Paul, who will be a senior at NHS this coming year, said he never applied for the award. According to Paul, one of his teachers recommended him for the honor, but he was never told which teacher.

On June 3 he attended a luncheon at Fairfield University with more than 120 other people to accept his award and medal. Students from 31 schools from Fairfield and New Haven Counties were presented their certificates by Dr Evangelos Hadjimichael, the dean of the School of Engineering, and Susan Hitchcock, director of community relations for Sikorsky Aircraft Corporations. Only high school juniors were given the recognition for the award.

“I feel very accomplished in getting the award,” said Paul, who also said there are other students at NHS who deserve the award. He said his friend Haotian Zheng is also talented with engineering, math, and science.

Paul said he has been interested in math and science since he was young.

“I enjoy science because it is generally something you can prove or disprove,” he said. “Math also has a reasonability you can follow.”

He said his freshman year math class specifically stands out as a point when he knew he likes studying math and science.

“I like to just study things in general,” Paul said. “I like to just look up random topics I don’t know about.”

He spends hours researching topics he is not familiar with, he said. The topics range from history, philosophy, logic, and controversial science arguments. In eighth grade he started arguing with friends about the Creation vs Evolution controversy, and, he said, he has been researching the topic since then.

“I do research to know how to respond to the arguments,” said Paul.

Paul’s father, Greg Garofalo, said he is very proud of his son, because all of Paul’s hard work, he said, is paying off.

“He is constantly reading books that most eleventh grade students don’t read,” Mr Garofalo said.

He said it must be ingrained in his brain to learn.

“He’s always been reading as many books as he could get his hands on,” said Mr Garofalo.