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All-State and All-Star
 Woodstock Academy student-athletes who received ECC and Nutmeg Conference All-Star Awards and CHSCA All-State awards were honored at the Winter Sports Awards Night recently.

Winners
Student-athletes who received ECC  Conference Scholar-Athlete awards were honored at the Winter Sports Awards Night recently.

 Sportsmanship
Student-athletes who received ECC Sportsmanship awards were honored at the Winter Sports Awards Night recently. Photos by Trent Peters/The Woodstock Academy.





The winter sports season has concluded at The Woodstock Academy and those student-athletes who participated were honored.
All-State and All-Star award recipients were recognized as were ECC sportsmanship and scholar-athlete award recipients and Coach’s Awards were also announced.
All-State Awards
Alpine Skiing (CISL): Eliza Simpson
Gymnastics (CHSCA): Taylor Markley
Gymnastics (CHSCA): Olivia Aleman
Gymnastics (CHSCA): Lindsey Gillies
First team All-Stars
Boys’ Hockey (Nutmeg Conference) – Dante Sousa
Boys’ Hockey (Nutmeg Conference) -  Donnie Sousa
Boys’ Hockey (Nutmeg Conference) – Noah Sampson
Boys’ Hockey (Nutmeg Conference) - Chris Thibault
Girls’ Indoor Track (Eastern Connecticut Conference) – Talia Tremblay
Girls’ Indoor Track (ECC) – Linsey Arends
Girls’ Indoor Track (ECC) – Leah Castle
Girls’ Indoor Track (ECC) – Julia Coyle
Girls’ Indoor Track (ECC) – Lauren Brule
Girls’ Indoor Track (ECC) – Isabella Selmecki
Boys’ Indoor Track (ECC) – Ian Hoffman
Boys’ Indoor Track (ECC) – Vince Bastura
Boys’ Indoor Track (ECC) – Keenan LaMontagne
Honorable Mention All-Stars
Cheerleading (ECC) – Katherine Guillot
Girls’ Indoor Track (ECC) – Bella Sorrentino
Girls’ Indoor Track (ECC) – Jillian Edwards
ECC Sportsmanship Awards:
Cheerleading – Celeste Robbins
Boys’ Indoor Track – Seamus Lippy
Girls’ Indoor Track – Hailey McDonald
Gymnastics – Olivia Aleman
Boys’ Basketball – Brandon Nagle
Girls’ Basketball – Leila MacKinnon
ECC Scholar-Athlete Awards
Boys’ Basketball – James D’Alleva Bochain
Girls’ Basketball -  Lennon Favreau
Cheerleading- Stephanie To
Boys’ Indoor Track – Keenan LaMontagne
Girls’ Indoor Track – Leah Castle
Gymnastics – Olivia Aleman
Coach’s Awards
Boys’ Basketball
Varsity: Hamilton Barnes, Brady Ericson
Junior Varsity: Hunter Larson
Freshman: Thomas Johnson
Girls’ Basketball
Varsity: Leila MacKinnon, Sophia Sarkis
Junior Varsity: Madison Bloom
Freshman: Kaelyn Tremblay
Unified Basketball
Athlete: Ian Palmerino
Partner: Marissa O’Sullivan
Alpine Skiing
Varsity: Aidan Soderman, Ksenija Martinovic
Cheerleading
Varsity: Lilliana LaTour-Gervais, Logan Blow
Boys’ Indoor Track
Varsity: Keenan LaMontagne, Ian Hoffman
Junior Varsity: Colton Sallum
Girls’ Indoor Track
Varsity: Linsey Arends, Bella Sorrentino
Junior Varsity: Lana Syriac
Girls’ Hockey
Varsity: Hannah Clark, Bryn Miller
Boys’ Hockey
Varsity: Noah Sampson, Zach Girard
Junior Varsity: Keegan Covello
Hobey Baker Character Award: Evan Haskins
Gymnastics:
Varsity: Taylor Markley, Olivia Aleman

The girls' indoor track team was announced as the team with the overall highest grade point average while the gymnastics team was selected as best-dressed for the evening.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

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It was a pretty good 48 hours for Arturo Dean.
Two days after leading Putnam Science Academy’s prep basketball team to its third national championship (and a 38-0 record), Dean announced that he was accepting a scholarship offer and committing to Florida International University for the fall.
“Honestly, I’m just very blessed,” Dean said. “My experience in Putnam, winning a national championship with those guys, was incredible. And then to be able to make my commitment…really, it’s just a blessing.”
FIU seemed like the obvious choice from the beginning. After all, Dean is proud to be from Miami, which is where FIU is located. But it was never a foregone conclusion for him.
“I needed to go check it out to see if it would meet my expectations. And it definitely did,” said Dean, who was the heart and soul of the Mustangs. “Everything about the school was amazing. I loved it, my parents loved it. It was just a matter of me going on a visit to make sure. I wasn’t going to go just because it was in Miami. That’s obviously a big piece of it, but if it didn’t feel like it was the right place for me, I wouldn’t have committed there.”
Dean, a 6-foot guard who averaged 13.9 points and team-leading 4.0 assists and 3.1 steals, also took visits to St. Bonaventure and Illinois-Chicago.
“I chose FIU because when I first got there the atmosphere just felt right,” he said. “I love the coaches, we clicked right away. It felt like home. Their basketball style is definitely my style. Very similar to Putnam. They get out and run, they’re fast, and there’s a lot of guard work, which can help me get to the next level. I liked the style and so did my pops. It’ll be a good fit for sure.”
Dean was a tremendous fit at PSA. He was one of the players coach Tom Espinosa referred to when he said “some of these guys just refused to let us lose. They weren’t going to let it happen.” He established a “win-first” rather than “me-first” mentality that seeped down through the entire team. And he did it with flair. Along with being one of the best leaders PSA has ever had, he is also one of the best personalities PSA has ever had. He has confidence and swag that truthfully changed part of the PSA basketball culture this year.
“Some of the stuff I let these guys do this year – the sunglasses, the music and dancing, Club Dub (the nickname given to the locker room where all Ws were celebrated with a velvet rope at the door and loud music, strobe lights, and a fog machine once inside) – I never would let other teams do. Ever,” Espinosa said. “But these guys reminded me that basketball is supposed to be fun. And they certainly made it fun, and Arturo was a big part of that. He was a different guy than anyone we’ve had here before.”
That part of Dean’s personality was instilled into him and his three brothers by his father.
“My dad raised us like, every time you walk in a building, walk in with your chest out and your head up high,” Dean said. “Just believe in yourself. I know, my pops knows, the people behind the scenes know, how much work I put in. I am confident in myself. My dad always told us that when you’re unsure of yourself, that’s when you make more mistakes. And when you’re confident, you’ll be better off. That confidence just came from that, and as I got older, it got stronger.
“The swag? I wanted to give off positive vibes and have fun doing it. There’s not so many opportunities like Putnam. I wanted to enjoy myself. I knew we had to handle business first, and we did that. We took it very seriously. Obviously, we went 38-0 and won a national championship. But at the same time, it’s basketball, it’s supposed to be fun. And Espo let us be us, as long as we did what we needed to do.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy

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Owen A. Tarr
PUTNAM — Owen A. Tarr, died March 15, 2022 after a lengthy illness. He was born in 1946 in Putnam, the son of the late Carroll and Thelma (Houdlette) Tarr.
Owen was a well-known and respected lifelong resident of the area. He was the director at 7 Hills Foundation where he worked with developmentally delayed adults. He enjoyed playing baseball in his early years and was instrumental in running the Putnam Softball League for many years. Owen later served as the chairman of the Putnam Recreation Committee for 40 years and also was elected and served on the Putnam Board of Selectmen for 25 years. He was a longtime fan and season ticket holder of the New England Patriots.
He leaves his longtime companion Nancy Best; his sister, Lurena (Tarr) Heath; and his cat Dúkie. He was predeceased by brothers, Calvin A. Tarr and Caroll Tarr.
The Funeral Service was March 19 in Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St. Putnam. A private graveside service will take place later. Donations: American Cancer Society, 825 Brook St, Rocky Hill, CT 06067; or to the Alzheimer’s Association, 200 Executive Blvd., Southington, CT 06489.

Francis ‘Howard’
Edwards Jr.
WOODSTOCK — Francis “Howard” Edwards Jr., 92, died March 16, 2022, at Westview Health Care Center after a brief illness. In 1969, Howard married Pauline (Jones) Wonoski who predeceased him.
Born Oct. 2, 1929, to the late Francis H. Edwards Sr. and Evelyn P. (Sinclair) Edwards, he lived in Woodstock his entire life. After graduating from Woodstock Academy in 1948, he worked in the construction industry and then went on to start his own business, Edward’s Roofing in 1974.  Howard’s son Wayne later joined him in the business, and Howard ran until his death.
Howard enjoyed working in the garden that Pauline established before her death. He also enjoyed feeding the birds and deer. He will be missed by his furry companion cat Cali.
He leaves his son, Wayne Edwards (Laurie) of Putnam; and his daughter, Sherry Engh (Peter) of E. Woodstock; his grandson, Jotham Edwards; his granddaughter, Kayla Engh (James Roy); his great-granddaughter, Hannah Roy; his sister, Marilyn Sherman of Woodstock; his sister in-law, Patricia Edwards of Delaware; He was predeceased by his sons, Walter, Dennis, and Dale; his brother, Gerald “Gee” and his brother in-law, Allen Sherman.
Following cremation, a private service and burial will be held at the East Woodstock Cemetery.  Donations: Muddy Brook Fire Department, P.O. Box 222, E. Woodstock, CT 06244. Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes, 104 Church St., Putnam.

Lorraine L. LaPorte
THOMPSON — Lorraine L. LaPorte, 84, of Thompson, died March 18, 2022, in the Westview Nursing Home. She was the wife of the late Adrien LaPorte, who died in 2012. They were married for 17 years.
Loraine was born in 1937 in Putnam. She was the daughter of the late Lawrence Gagne and Eva (Trahan) Gagne.
Her last place of employment was Crabtree and Evelyn in Woodstock. Lorraine enjoyed camping and traveling with the Plainfield Seniors. She also enjoyed spending time with family, especially her seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
She leaves her daughters, Debra Castonguay (Jack) of Thompson, and Denise Briere (Albert) of Putnam;, son Dennis Lyon (Denise) of Port Richey, Fla.; seven grandchildren, Tami, Holly, Dusten, Jessica, Russell, Jarod, and Zachary; and eight great-grandchildren, Tyler, Madison, Cole, Ava, Brandan, Allison,Abby, and Rylee.
At Lorraine’s request, services are respectfully omitted. Donations: The Parkinson’s Foundation, 200 SE 1st Street, Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131. Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St, Putnam.

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