Kassandra Steen, of Bethel, won The Deutsch Family Scholarship Program, which is sponsored by Deutsch Family Wine and Spirits. Steen is the child of Brett Steen. Steen is majoring in English at Mitchell College in New London.
Deutsch established the program to reward the academic excellence of children or their employees. The business, has 170 employees and imports wines, champagnes, and spirits. Recipients of the scholarship are selected by a nonprofit scholarship organization called Career Opportunities Through Education, Inc. The company is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J.
The selection criteria for students to receive a scholarship from the program includes: Academic performance, school and community activities, work experience, and a recommendation. All of the phases of the competition to receive a scholarship from the program, are independently managed by a national scholarship service organization called Scholarship Managers.
The organization has experience in the design and management of scholarship programs like The Deutsch Family Scholarship Program.
Brookfield
Contemporary artist showcases latest artwork
Longtime Brookfield resident and contemporary artist Katushka Millones is showcasing her latest works at the RPAC Gallery in Ridgefield from Thursday, Aug. 5 through Sunday, Sept. 12 in an art exhibit that will be titled: “An Intimate Encounter with Nature.”
After being forced by COVID-19 to work from home, Millones went back to what she loves most: making art. After painting on, and off for more than two decades, she decided to become a full-time artist.
Over the past year, Millones has produced more than 100 art pieces, 70 of which will be displayed on the gallery’s walls during the exhibit.
Millones is also an architect graduate from her home country of Peru and has always found satisfaction in the arts.
Millones creates her best work in her art studio where her imagination has no boundaries, after having experimented with music photography and technical drafting.
Moved by artists Joseph M. W. Turner’s skies, Wassily Kandinsky’s palette and Joseph Cornell’s assemblages, Millones’ present work explores the relationship between, land and sea where a moment of solitude awaits the viewer.
The gallery is located at 410 Main St. in Ridgefield. Visit Millones’ website at katushkamillones.org, or call the gallery at (203) 894-5609 for more information.
Brookfield
Sunset Sizzler registration now open
Registration for the Brookfield Public School District Booster Club’s annual Sunset Sizzler community event is now open.
The event will be held Friday, Aug. 13 at Brookfield High School. The a bib pickup begins at 6 p.m. and the run/walk start time is 7 p.m.
Visit the Booster Club’s website at https://www.brookfieldathletics.com/page/show/4610878-sunset-sizzler-5k for more details about the event and to sign up.
The Booster Club will not have in-person registration on the day of the event. The attendees must sign up for the event in advance of its date by Thursday, Aug. 12.
Proceeds from the event will benefit all of the school’s sports teams.
Email the Booster Club at [email protected] with any questions or to volunteer. The school is located at 45 Long Meadow Hill Road.
Danbury
Baseball team wins 2021 state Championship
The Danbury 11 and under baseball team recently beat Greenwich 14-1 at Rogers Park in Danbury in the 2021 state championship.
This is the team’s second championship in a row and its third championship in four years.
Rogers Park is located at 15 Mountainville Ave. in the city.
Ridgefield
Student wins national investing essay competition
Ridgefield High School business student and investment club president Mike Zvon has placed first in the U.S., in the InvestWrite essay competition. Zvon’s essay was chosen as the best among over 2,000 applicants nationwide. Zvon also won $1,000 in prize money, along with a banner, trophy and plaque for his finish.
InvestWrite is a national essay competition that serves as a culminating activity for students, who are taking part in the SIFMA Foundation’s Stock Market Game.
Students at the school, who are taking personal finance classes, and who are members of the school’s investment club, compete in the game, and essay competition throughout the school year.
The spring 2021 InvestWrite competition prompt asked students the following questions:
What do you want to save for in the short-term and in the long-term? Why are these things important and how will they benefit you and/or others? Using stocks, mutual funds, and/or bonds, how would you create a diversified, $100,000 Stock Market Game portfolio to be successful for both time frames?
In Zvon’s essay, Zvon says he would split his investment between short term strategies like investing in individual stocks such as Micron and mutual funds such as the Morgan Stanley Insight fund.
For Zvon’s long-term strategy he said he would put money into an S&P 500 exchange traded fund.
Ridgefield
Ridgefield School of Dance celebrates its 2021 graduates
Five seniors recently gave their farewell performance with The Ridgefield School of Dance on Friday, May 21, at the Klein Auditorium in Bridgeport.
The students performed “Four Seasons” and “Exhale.” Three of the school’s students, Makena Davi, Ariana Mirfakhraie and Alexandra Westrick, are part of the school’s graduating class for this year.
The students spent a portion of their lives in ballet slippers, and/or jazz shoes in the studio, which is located at 66 Grove St. in Ridgefield. With so many years of experiences among them, each dancer has a favorite ballet, part, memory and lesson learned, and each has had a busy life outside the school with other pursuits.
Davi performed in at least 13 performances of “The Nutcracker” and another 14 ballets, including “Alice in Wonderland,” “Madeline,” “Coppelia,” “Carnival of the Animals” and “Cinderella.” Davi loves dancing in large ensembles such as the “Waltz of the Snowflakes” in “The Nutcracker” and danced the part of Dew Drop in the ballet in 2019.
Davi was also class assistant for several years. In addition to taking ballet at least four days a week, Davi also participated in the Ridgefield High School music program and was a junior volunteer in the Milford Hospital Emergency Room. Davi is going to study at the University of Florida in the future and plans to pursue medical school.
Mirfakhraie played violin with the school’s Symphonic Orchestra and plans to study at the University of Vienna in Austria in the future. Mirfakhraie favorite ballet was “Paquita” and her favorite part was portraying the Emerald Fairy in the play from the movie that is titled: “Sleeping Beauty.”
In addition to ballet, Mirfakhraie was also previous a member of the school’s jazz company and performed in “Exhale,” the department’s contribution to this season’s year-end festivities.
Westrick joined the school in sixth grade. Westrick has loved all of her dance experiences. She enjoyed learning new material and expressing different emotions through choreography. Dance has taught her the joy of releasing the stresses of everyday life.
When Westrick was not in the studio, she was involved with the Ridgefield High School cheer team, and the Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church Appalachia Project. Westrick is going to attend the University of Tennessee in the fall, where she will study nursing.
Starting ballet at 3-years-old, Magnusson has applied the precise understanding of movement and coordination from ballet to her passions for horseback riding and skiing. Magnusson also participated in the National Honor Society, balancing her participation in the school with academics.
Dancing with others has reinforced in Magnusson the value of making and honoring a commitment. Magnusson is headed to Boston College in the future to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics,) related studies. Magnusson also intends to continue with dance.
Ronai also started dancing at 3 and joined the Ridgefield School of Dance at 8. Ronai’s favorite ballet is “Cinderella.” Ronai’s favorite part in the ballet, was portraying the White Cat in “Sleeping Beauty.”
Ronai previously gained confidence by performing in front of others. Ronai was also previously the vice president of the Weston High School debate team. Ronai was also her graduating class’s salutatorian at the school, co-captain of the Connecticut state Champion Mock Trial team and a member of the nonprofit organization, Circle of Friends. Ronai is attending Dartmouth University in the fall. The school is located in Hanover, N.H.
All five students of the students shared their appreciation this past year for having a place to go and expressing themselves emotionally and artistically.
The school’s Artistic Director Jessica Boelts has been teaching the students since they joined the school.
Visit the school’s website at www.theridgefieldschoolofdance.com, or call the school at 203-894-5957 for more information about the school.
Births
A son, Kylo Daniel Covell-Sullivan, was born May 27 at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital to Minnie Carista Burgess of and Marc Edward Sullivan, of Torrington.
A son, Shai Emil-Daniel Mattaboni, was born June 17 at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital to Crystal James and Michael Mattaboni, of Bristol.
A son, Macklin John Mayo, was born June 21 at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital to John Edward Mayo, Jr. and Danielle Jean Mayo, of New Milford.
A daughter, Evelyn Ruth Miller, was born June 23 at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital to Brittany Miller and Jesse Miller, of New Milford.
A son, Kevin Robert Woznicki, was born June 28 at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital to Cayce Woznicki and Mark Woznicki, of Torrington.
A son, Nathaniel Ivars Archer, was born June 28 at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital to Sarah Rose Archer and Rodney Elton Archer, Jr., of Washington.
A daughter, Presley Mae Pequignot, was born July 5 at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital to Angelica Marie Pequignot and Edwin Stanley Pequignot, of Kent.
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