supporting pg 1 3-24-22
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Supporting
displaced
Ukrainian
students
WOODSTOCK — The Woodstock Academy is actively working with global educational partners to welcome students from Ukraine who have been displaced due to the war. The first student arrived March 21, with a total of five to seven students expected to join The Academy family.
“Like many, we are watching what is happening in Ukraine and we are concerned for the families and citizens who are under attack and are currently being displaced. Also, like many, we are asking ourselves what we can do to support the people of Ukraine,” said Assistant Head of School for Enrollment Amy Favreau.
Preparations include working on logistics for international study, equipping the boarding environment, and tailoring to specific educational and medical needs for each student. Tuition, room, and board will be provided free of charge for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year.
“This work is truly in line with our mission statement and who we are as an institution,” said Chris Sandford, head of school.
To help support this mission, and welcome more students in need, The Woodstock Academy is seeking financial support from its community partners. To discuss financial support or other ways to help, please contact Associate Head of School for Advancement Jonathan Sturdevant at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call (860) 928-6575 ext. 1211.
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woman pg 1 3-24-22
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caption:
Complete Pledge
Members of the Woman’s Board of Day Kimball Hospital and DKH CEO Kyle Kramer, chief executive officer, with the board’s presentation of the final check completing the board’s $200,000 pledge. Back row, from left: Kristen Willis, DKH Director of Development and WBDKH member; Deb Cornman, WBDKH Corresponding Secretary; Patti Bernier, DKH Director of Ancillary Services and WBDKH member; Valentine Iamartino, WBDKH President; Kyle Kramer, DKH Chief Executive Officer; Heidi Hare, WBDKH Asst. Treasurer; Kim LeCuyer, WBDKH Treasurer & Gift Shop Manager; Elaine Turner, DBDKH member. Front row, from left: Cheryl Medlyn, WBDKH Fundraising; Linnea Sarantopolous, WBDKH Fundraising; Nancy Weiss, Director, DKH Board of Directors and WBDKH member; Wanda Mineo, WBDKH Vice President & Membership. Courtesy photo.
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PUTNAM — The Woman’s Board of Day Kimball Hospital (WBDKH) announced the completion of a three-year, $200,000 pledge in support of renovations to Day Kimball Hospital’s (DKH) Burdick Family Birthing Center, and presented a check in the amount of $5,882 to DKH leadership recently. Funds for this commitment were raised through the gift shop at Day Kimball Hospital and various fund-raisers sponsored by the Woman’s Board.
The Birthing Center renovation project began in October 2018 and has provided aesthetic updates to fourteen patient rooms including new counter tops, privacy curtains, sleep couches and rocking chairs, artwork from local artists, and more.
“Since 1894, Day Kimball has counted on the support of our community to enhance the quality and services we provide, and we are extremely grateful for the generosity of the Woman’s Board who have continuously been an active and significant partner to us in this effort for 127 years,” said Kyle Kramer, chief executive officer, Day Kimball Healthcare. “These funds will enable DKH to continue to provide critical women’s health services for our community, and will make such a difference in the lives of countless families across Northeast Connecticut.”
Woman’s Board President, Valentine Iamartino, spoke to the Board’s fund-raising efforts amid the pandemic that pushed the organization to think strategically and complete its commitment.
“As president of our 170 member non-profit, I could not be more proud of this group for all the hard work and determination they endured to pay off our $200,000 pledge commitment that commenced three years ago to renovate the patient rooms within the Burdick Family Birthing Center at Day Kimball Hospital,” said Iamartino. “With two of those years involving the 127 year institution being under the stronghold of a pandemic, the Woman’s Board was determined to keep moving forward no matter what, by rallying the troops, rethinking fundraising strategies and never losing sight of the goal. Adaptability, perseverance, and member commitment and involvement, no matter how insignificant, were undoubtedly key in our success,” she said.
Also announced at the meeting was the Woman’s Board’s newest pledge of $250,000 to support the purchase of a new da Vinci surgical system for Day Kimball Hospital, which will enhance surgical capabilities and enable surgeons to perform minimally invasive surgeries including both laparoscopic and robotic-assisted surgical procedures across multiple surgical services.
“As part of our commitment to clinical excellence and providing the most advanced and accessible options for care, Day Kimball is excited to begin fundraising for a da Vinci surgical system,” Kramer said. “This novel technology will allow us to extend surgical services in urology, colorectal surgery, gynecologic surgery, urogynecology, and general surgery. The Woman’s Board’s generous pledge toward the procurement of this cutting-edge technology will significantly contribute to helping us reach our goal,” Kramer said.
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adams pg 2 3-24-22
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caption, page 5
New Coach
Donte Adams comes over from the prep program to take over the Woodstock Academy boys’ basketball program next season. Photo by Marc Allard.
A new energy.
It’s what Donte Adams hopes to instill in the Woodstock Academy boys’ basketball team next season.
Adams, an assistant with the Woodstock Academy prep basketball team this past season, was named head coach of the boys’ high school team recently.
“That’s something I am good at, bringing the best out of kids,” Adams said. “I’m going to definitely bring the energy and tell them that we’re going to work. I want to make them want to be here so that they will actually enjoy coming to practice. It’s going to be an exciting season.”
Adams takes over a team that finished with three wins this past season and will lose six players to graduation, leaving a good number of players with varsity experience.
“I’m super-excited and I think the kids will be also,” athletic director Sean Saucier said. “I got to know (Adams) well this past fall and he has a great demeanor and a great attitude. I think he draws people to him and I think he’s a good fit to the lead the program. A different energy, a new energy, can change things and it’s not always about the wins and losses, it’s more about the energy and resurgence of the program. I want to see where he can take us.”
Adams said Saucier wasn’t the only one who was happy that he accepted the position, so was prep basketball coach Jacque Rivera.
“Jacque was all for it. He said to me that it was an opportunity for me to grow, build my resume and become a better coach. I’m definitely going to continue to help the prep program as much as I can, too,” Adams said.
Adams hails from New York City where he attended Eagle Academy, an all-boys school, in the Bronx, and played basketball.
He went on junior college in Nesho, Kan.
If it sounds like it was in the middle of nowhere, it’s because it was, according to Adams.
But the school belonged to one of the best junior college conferences, the Jayhawk Conference, in the country.
He moved on from Nesho to Cecil College, a Div. II school in Bay View, Md., where he played for only two years, but still managed to score 1,000 points and was named a third team Div. II All-American.
He also played for the University of Central Missouri before finishing his collegiate career at Talladega College in Alabama.
From there, he went pro and played basketball for San Luis Potosi and Chihuahua in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional, the top professional basketball league in Mexico.
“I was a little all over Mexico for three years and knew I wanted to give back. I was given the opportunity to get into coaching and started off with an AAU program in Pittsburgh training and working, both girls and boys from sixth grade to high school, coaching a lot of games on the weekends,” Adams said with a laugh.
This past year was his first on a staff in a high school or prep setting.
“I learned a lot in my first year on the prep staff and I’m going to bring a lot of that down to the high school team,” Adams said. “The higher the level, the more work you have to put in, the more you have to do to get to where you want to go. Whether it’s playing at the college level, going to college, or just get a job after graduation. I’m just bringing the philosophy that hard work gets you this; put in the time, the dedication to the game, you will be rewarded.”
He is also a paraprofessional at the school and, as such, has already begun to interact with Woodstock Academy student-athletes.
“I have started to build a relationship with them. They know me when I come into class and I try to build relationships all over campus. If I see a student sitting alone or a group of students, I stop and talk to them. They always see me with a different pair of sneakers so we always have something to talk about,” Adams said.
It’s also a chance for him to settle down and establish some roots after hopping from place-to-place for the past several years.
“I just want to be more solidified; Being the high school coach here, helping make great things happen, on-and-off the court. I plan to be here for a while,” Adams said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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awards pg 2 3-24-22
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Awards
Woodstock Academy gymnasts, from left: junior Taylor Markley, senior Lindsey Gillies and freshman Olivia Aleman, were given their Connecticut High School Coaches Association All-State awards last week. Photo by Trent Peters/The Woodstock Academy.
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