To purchase photos visit http://photos.newtownbee.com Newtown High School’s baseball team suffered its first losses in South-West Conference play falling 4-2 at Bethel on April 23 and 10-1 at Joel Barlow of Redding two days later then got back into the win column in a high-scoring way with an 11-7 victory at New Fairfield on April 28 the Nighthawks trailed 3-1 before scoring ten runs on seven hits in the fifth inning Kieran Garrity delivered a two-run double in the frame and finished with two hits and three runs batted in and scored twice; Jonathan Moseman had a hit and two runs scored; Lucian Place had a double and run scored; Jack Carta drove in a run and scored once; and Ryan Schmidt had a hit Jamie Piccuillo earned the win on the mound surrendering five runs (three earned) on three hits and striking out three and walking eight in four and a third innings Leyva got the save pitching two and two thirds innings and allowing two earned runs on four hits In the Bethel game Jack Carta had two hits; Carta and Place each knocked in a run You must be logged in to post a comment This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page and struggles with accreditation are behind the new design for New Fairfield High School in New Fairfield The district solicited JCJ Architecture to redesign and replace the 1970s-era structure that was deemed by the town to have exceeded its useful life The new building offered an opportunity to emphasize the school’s culture and integrate a neighborhood learning model was previously set back from the roadway and was connected to the middle school high school is situated closer to the road and was built adjacent to the existing building The project cost $84 million and was completed ahead of the 2023–24 academic year JCJ Architecture approached the high school renovation project with three guiding principles: build community JCJ associate principal Emily Czarnecki said the floorplan sought to integrate the various career pathways “Part of the inspiration was the integration of the academics with the Career Technical Education and visual and performing arts,” she said “It was very segregated in the old building those spaces became integrated and visible as you walk through.” A challenge was to design a building that maximized taxpayer dollars and stayed within the budget Associate principal Jeff Elliott shared how the three-story classroom wing configuration supported a multifunctional space scheme optimized for staff and students The commons area serves as a student dining facility and a learning commons with a central staircase that links the various floors and spectator seating for robotics competitions “The new building is designed around a commons area which is a multistory and multifunctional space,” Elliott said “How you start to build some of these adjacencies are the building blocks of the school so you get multifunction and dynamic connections and activities throughout the day.” JCJ Architecture had to address a significant grade change across the new high school site the grade allowed the team to design three stories with accessible entry points at the main entry to the middle level from the plaza and a secondary entry at the lower level The middle school—constructed in the 1990s—would remain in place while the high school would be reconstructed and relocated The middle school is set atop a hill whereas the proposed high school location is on the hill “We proposed to situate the high school closer to the middle school so the main entries of the two buildings would dialogue across a community outdoor courtyard,” Elliott said The middle school liked to use the high school amenities because they don’t have an auditorium and some of the robotics labs access elevates the middle school program.” The school’s floor plan meshes spaces so students can utilize resources that support cross-disciplinary collaboration The carpentry and construction classrooms are adjacent to the stage with overhead doors making set construction and assembly easier The culinary arts program fronts the dining commons so students can serve the community during events Some of the classrooms and the wellness and fitness room overlook the gym The main entries are designed for bus drop-off and visitor parking Adjacent to the parking lot is the lower-level entry for after-hours access by the community which serves as the unified core of the building across the two entry levels The vertically shared space allows access to the auditorium A pedestrian plaza connects the two buildings to allow middle-school students and staff access to these valuable resources the existing classroom wing and auditorium were demolished while the original gymnasium and natatorium remained The easternmost driveway remained in place the westernmost driveway shifted to improve sight lines and has expanded to a full-movement driveway The design team sought to improve vehicular access and pedestrian safety through new traffic patterns “Part of the entry road was looping around so the high school and middle school were further back,” Elliott said “But the new high school location brought it closer to the road so there was a visible connection back to the community That’s where the community entry is now more visible making it easier for the community to engage.” The New Fairfield High School Rebels’ school colors are red JCJ Architecture integrated the hues in a timeless strategy The library has two accent walls in red and blue and the walls around the entrances to the academic core spaces are colored The central learning commons space features an exposed ceiling with baffles to highlight the stairs as well as decorative lighting since the space also functions as a community space The exposed ceiling was a cost-saving measure Inside the robotics and engineering labs are metal perforated ceilings with patterns underscoring the high-tech program The remainder of the school’s ceiling is a standard 2-ft-by-4-ft lay-in with linear scoring to create a contemporary vibe Other color considerations for flooring took a timeless approach with simple patterns LVT floor tile in a neutral color pattern is used throughout most of the building because of its durability The gym is fitted with hardwood and the Learning Commons has carpet tile. Skylights illuminate the corridors while daylight and large windows allow natural light into classrooms and gathering spaces The learning commons offers glimpses into classroom activities and a space where students and staff can engage before and after school as well as with the community What makes each space effective is the thoughtful selection of furniture that meets everyone’s needs within the learning environment “Your space is only as good as you can reorganize and shape it,” Czarnecki said “The furniture can also create that multipurpose adjustment and adaptability as programs change.” Select faculty attended the EDSpaces conference with the JCJ Architecture team before setting up three trial classrooms with furniture and seeking feedback ahead of final selections Staff completed a workshop to explore the flexibility of the furniture and can reference how-to posters for inspiration on desk arrangements and study spaces feature various seating types and tables that adjust for multifunctionality Czarnecki said her team worked to balance collaboration and heads-down spaces acknowledging the test requirements within schools “The desks can be pulled apart; when you need to have students do a test and you don’t want them on top of each other “That links to the adaptability and flexibility for the different needs.” Classrooms have four seating types—chairs and soft seating—for students to choose how they learn best “When you think about students focusing on what they’re working on they need to be comfortable and that’s going to be different for every kid,” Czarnecki said “We heard a lot that kids love to be at high tops feeling like they’re older and in a café or higher education facility The soft seating that flexes can give them that little bit of motion to focus.” movable furniture that can float between classrooms and shift to meet educational needs the classrooms retain the necessities of sinks Corridor space expands the learning environment beyond the classroom Breakout corridors feature modular furniture where students can work in groups on projects Each breakout space was designed with the nearby career academies in mind The corridor by the art and Mac lab has big tables for projects whereas the more academic spaces feature soft seating with writable surfaces and smaller huddle setups for group studies A lesson learned from the project was to move away from built-in storage within classrooms and choose flexible storage especially in educational settings where multiple faculty members utilize a classroom New Fairfield staff have a faculty workroom “If you can maximize your space and maximize your square footage you can enhance some of the other areas well,” Czarnecki said.  Lauren Brant is an editor at both i+s and BUILDINGS she served as deputy news editor at a daily and editor of a weekly newspaper We spoke to New Fairfield State Representative Pat Callahan about the issue on the Friday (09/13/24) edition of the I-95 Morning Show Lou: CT Lawmakers are looking to make some adjustments and stop this from happening Pat: "In my conversations with John Krupinsky (Sergeant Danbury PD) and the State Police—and as Dave and you all know—I worked with John on numerous cases over the years when I ran the probation department in this part of the state What is disturbing is that many of the participants in these street takeovers are coming from other states What they do is they get on these social media websites and they start the talk and they figure out where they are going to do it and then they come in and you're right they don't allow people to pass by and it's gotten to be a big problem in Connecticut the good news is local and State Police are smarter than them and they're on top of it and they've employed a few tactics to stop this There was one that was going to take place September 1st but their technology and their infiltration into these groups stopped it before it happened." Lou: So lawmakers are kicking around ideas here like revoking licenses talking about taking their vehicles away from them all together are those the actions being considered or are their additional measures they want to put into place to stop these street takeovers?  Pat: "One of the additional measures I want to get the State Police the ability to have an aircraft They have a helicopter now but they need an airplane with the technology to track all of these that is one of the things I don't think is on the table right now but I think the laws need to be a little tougher and like I said at the beginning of our conversation The Police Accountability Bill is stopping people in law enforcement from doing the proactive work they used to do because they are afraid of what is going to happen to them and their families." I was a delinquent teen/young adult but we were different than young people today We did everything we could to avoid law enforcement and these children want to commit crimes in full-view of the cops and rub it in their face The laws are currently setup to allow for that You can listen to our complete interview with New Fairfield State Rep Pat Callahan below Check out the Ethan, Lou & Large Dave Podcast on Apple and Spotify We spoke to New Fairfield State Representative Pat Callahan about the issue on the Friday (09/13/24) edition of the I-95 Morning Show Check out the Ethan, Lou & Large Dave Podcast on Apple and Spotify New Fairfield, CT Family and friends will be received on Friday 2025 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Jowdy-Kane Funeral Home; 9 Granville Avenue A funeral mass will be celebrated on Saturday 2025 at 10:00 AM in Saint Edward the Confessor Church; 21 Brush Hill Road Interment will follow in Mountain View Cemetery A complete obituary is forthcoming - visit https://www.jowdykanefuneralhome.com/obituary/Sandra-Saalborn HamletHub invites you to contribute stories, events, and more to keep your neighbors informed and connected. Don’t miss what’s happening in your community.Subscribe to receive a daily digest of the people, places and things that make our community great. Copyright ©2025 HamletHub™ NEW FAIRFIELD – The Town of New Fairfield has hired a new finance director to replace Olga Melnikov who stepped down in May to take a similar position in New Milford according to the town’s October newsletter who took over as finance director over the summer He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in international affairs with a strong emphasis in finance He is working towards his Chartered Financial Analyst designation from the CFA Institute Kan has worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan as well as municipalities in Massachusetts He is originally from Uzbekistan and speaks fluent Russian New Fairfield’s Board of Selectmen announced the departure of Melnikov who is taking the same position at a bigger scale in New Milford where she previously served as comptroller according to the Town Tribune of New Fairfield and Sherman The Town of New Fairfield Finance Department supports the town as well as the Board of Education The finance staff is responsible for overseeing the daily financial affairs which includes accounts payable and maintaining the general accounting system Other responsibilities include recording receipts This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access. and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" CNN (CNN) — Former Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday while receiving the John F CNN (CNN) — Former Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday while receiving the John.. Trending Westchester