1st Fridays

Clockwise from top left: Josie Ywarsky, 4, of North Grosvenordale has Elsa "tattoo" put on at the Airbrush Tattoos by Dawn booth. Paul Revere painting in front of Artique. Symphony Muscolino, 3 and 1/2 of Oxford, Mass., with her PRIDE balloon. Discover Putnam in chalk on Main Street.

 

Academy

adding

armed 

security

WOODSTOCK — The Woodstock Academy Board of Trustees last week approved an administrative recommendation for armed security on campus.

This will start in the fall.

Headmaster Christopher Sandford said “The Woodstock Academy Mission requires the leadership to continually work to provide a safe environment for all our students. Over the last three years, we have taken many significant steps to ensure the safety of our students on our open campus.

“Research shows that when students feel safe, they focus on learning; their academic achievements increase. Recognizing this, 83 cameras were installed on campus, an anonymous tip line was added to the website, a comprehensive vulnerability assessment of the campus was conducted, all emergency procedures were updated, a School Security and Safety Plan was implemented, an access control system on exterior doors was installed, and a Campus Safety Committee was created.”

Sandford said the addition of armed security on campus was the next logical step.

He added, “Members of our current Campus Safety staff will fill this position. As outlined in Public Act No. 13-188, retired police officers who maintain certification are qualified to carry a weapon. The Board of Trustees has decided to allow a concealed weapon, which will not be visible to students or the community at large. 

“Once you strip away any initial emotional response to this change, which many of us had to do, and look at the facts, you will see the reasoning for this recommendation. Research shows that any school shooting is over between 3-7 minutes after it starts. Due to our location, it is possible that the response time for help to arrive could be as much as 15-20 minutes. 

Another concern is that the first responders may be unfamiliar with our campus; this could further delay a response. These factors convinced the administration and the Board to support the proposal, Sandford said. 

He added, “Our relationships with our students, however, are the keys to preventing violence. A comprehensive Advisory Program (a 30-minute monthly meeting to discuss school issues and develop strong student/adult relationships) was created, members of the administration and campus mental health professionals met for regularly scheduled meetings, and significant hours of professional development were dedicated to training our staff on de-escalation techniques. All members of the staff received National Incident Management System (NIMS) training, as well as active-shooter training. 

Families expect that we will provide a safe environment and protect our students from any harm; safety is truly the center of all these decisions. Based on the yearly survey data, over 90 percent of our students felt “safe” on campus, a significantly higher percentage than the state average. We will continue to explore any way to protect our students and, if it is feasible, we will put it in place, Sandford added.

 

TriTown

American 

Legion 

Baseball 

initiating 

Hall of Fame

Special to the Putnam Town Crier

The TriTown American Legion Baseball program has been in existence for approximately 50 years.  During its long history the program has turned out a number of very successful players as well as enjoying the luxury of having some outstanding coaches.  Additionally the program has been the beneficiary of the work of individuals who have contributed time, energy and financial support to the program.

An idea was hatched a couple years ago by Joe Lindley and Ron Coderre, two members of the current program’s executive committee to create a TriTown American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame.  The idea came to fruition in the past few months when the pair engaged the services of three individuals who were closely connected to the program over the years.

Coderre and Lindley contacted former longtime coach Tom Auclair, former Board 8 umpire Stan Lesniewski and former TriTown standout Brian Murphy, enlisting their services on the selection committee.  The group put together the by-laws of the organization and has been meeting to select the initial class of entrants.

The purpose of the Hall of Fame will be to recognize the extraordinary baseball tradition of the program and those individuals who have assisted in making it successful.  The group is seeking nominations from former players, coaches, parents or community individuals familiar with the program.

Information regarding the criteria and eligibility can be secured by sending requests for a nomination form or a name to American Legion Post #13, Attn: TTAL Baseball Hall of Fame Committee, P.O. Box 123, Putnam, CT 06260-0123.

“After much discussion and planning we felt it was time to honor those individuals who have been the backbone of the TriTown American Legion Baseball program.  We’re hoping that the idea catches on and people will send nominations of those they feel are worthy of entry into the Hall,” said Lindley.

The committee is expecting to select the initial group soon.  They plan on honoring those individuals at the TriTown American Legion Baseball season ending awards banquet on July 22.

“This Hall of Fame will not only honor individuals from the past but it will also help in connecting today’s players with those who are part of the history of the program.  Hopefully it will give players coming through the program something to strive for in the future,” said Coderre.