The Buzz
School Community News
Issue #23
Friday, November 20, 2020
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The original Gilbert School building on Park Place, circa 1909. |
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The Gilbert School Celebrates its 125th Anniversary |
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The Gilbert School was founded "for the improvement of mankind by affording such assistance and means of educating the young as will help them to become good citizens."
–William L. Gilbert, Founder
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The Gilbert School and The First Pandemic
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Due to the continuing COVID pandemic, 2020 has been a challenging year around the world, including The Gilbert School community. However, this is not the first time that Gilbert has had to face a global pandemic.
Back in October 1918, Gilbert closed for a full month due to the influenza pandemic. The school would re-open in November 1918 but students lost a full month of learning due to the epidemic. In 1918 there were no such things as computers, tablets, or even distance learning to help the students continue their studies.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is estimated that in 1918 about 500 million people (one-third of the world’s population at the time) became infected with the virus. There were an estimated 50 million deaths worldwide, including 675,000 in the United States.
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Covid School Safety Guidelines |
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All students, teachers, and staff must wear a mask when present in the school building!
The Gilbert School requires all students and staff to wear masks. These may be paper, disposable masks or cloth masks. We do not allow masks with external vents, gaitors, or bandanas. If you need assistance with masks, please do not hesitate to contact the school nurses-we are here to help! For more information on mask guidelines click here.
Attention parents: Help us screen for COVID symptoms by taking your child's temperature.
The Gilbert School wants you to help us with screening students for Coronavirus symptoms. Please screen your children before you send them to school! If they display ANY symptoms, please keep them home!
Remote and hybrid learning will be part of this semester. We anticipate there may be some technological glitches. However, we will work on any solutions to any disruption to remote learning. We ask that you please be patient with us as we go through this unusual opening of school!
The Gilbert School fully intends to deliver the best education to our students in this school year!
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Alumna of the Week
Erin (Brady) Clark
Class of 2005
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Erin, her husband Joe Clark and their children Steven and Norah. |
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What have you done since you graduated?: "I earned my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology at Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont. Then I earned my Master's Degree in Education also at St. Michael's College. Right now I am working as a Special Educator at Milton Elementary School in Milton, Vermont."
Why did you choose that career path?: "In the senior year of college as part of my major, I got a job as a paraprofessional in an alternative program. I went back to school for my teaching license to be a special education teacher. I like working with children and with my psychology major I was thinking about either doing school counseling or Special Education. I felt that Special Education was great because I had a chance to interact with children every day and be working on all of the different aspects of their instructional plans. It's nice to be able to watch them grow and learn."
What do you remember from your time at Gilbert?: "Definitely being part of the swim team and my teachers. I remember Mr. Gamari who was my History teacher during freshman year. I also had Mr. Gamari during my senior year for Political Science. He would always let us out of class early on calzone day because he wanted to beat the lines in the cafeteria. During Political Science for our senior year we were focused a lot on the presidential election of 2004, then we picked a lot of fun topics to study after the election happened."
What lessons from Gilbert have you applied to the real world?: "You work hard, learn, be kind to the people around you and be a positive part of the community."
What advice would you give to current students at Gilbert?: "Work hard and be kind. Those two things are the most important things you can do in life."
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Teacher of the Week
Craig Levesque
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8th grade Science teacher at Gilbert since 2012
Educational background: "I earned my Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Education and Earth Science at Central Connecticut State University. I earned my Master's Degree in STEM Education at Central Connecticut State University."
What do you like about teaching at Gilbert?: "I like that I can interact with new students each year. I like that every day is different. We are always tackling a new problem and learning new things. Being a teacher is always something new and different every day, and it never gets old. I like getting to know all of the students and making a positive difference in students' lives."
Why is Science important?: "I think Science is always important because there is always something new to learn. Science is always changing and there is always something new to discover. I always tell students: if you look outside and you see something that you can't explain, that's Science right there. Science is always about trying to explain new phenomena that you see. Science is all around us. I think it is important that students learn how to ask questions and be curious about the world around them."
What do you think the best way is to learn about Science?: "I think the best way to learn science is to do Science. Every day you ask questions, you make observations, then you test things out to find out what is happening."
What do you like about Gilbert: "It's such a small community. I get every student that comes through the 8th Grade. Then I see these students continue on through high school. I like that we have such a small school where I can recognize everyone's last names. I get to see younger siblings and cousins attend Gilbert. It's such a small and close-knit community that I really love that I get to know these students and their families over the years."
How would you describe Gilbert to a stranger?: "It's a small close-knit community that's jam-packed with tradition and school spirit."
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Student of the Week
Samuel King
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Age: 17
Parents: Chris and Emily King
Favorite classes: "Yearbook and the broadcasting class. To me, they are the most intriguing and I love working socially with other people as a team."
Favorite extracurricular activities: "Soccer is my absolute favorite. I have been playing it forever. There's this great feeling that you get when you are stepping on the field with a team you have been playing with your whole life."
What have you learned during your time at Gilbert: "I think it's important to form relationships with people, whether it is a classmate, an entire class, a teacher or a teammate. It's all about the development of relationships for me."
What are your future plans?: "As of right now I'm not entirely sure about what I'm going to do. I want to go to school, but I'm not sure what for. I am big into television production, photography, and filmmaking. I want to continue to do that, but I don't know if I want to go to school for it. I want to keep it in my life and do something with it for a job."
How would you describe Gilbert to a stranger?: "A very close-knit community where everybody knows everybody. If you go to Gilbert you will share a lot of interests with others. Everybody gets along with and supports each other, especially the sports teams. Everyone is here to help each other out."
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Athlete of the Week
Abigail Tanis
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Age: 16
Grade: 11
Parents: Karen Tanis and Robert Tanis
Sports: "I play soccer, softball, and cheer."
What do you like about playing sports?: "I have become part of a family. I met new people who I have built a connection with. I have also come to love the sports I play and developed a passion for them. I can't imagine my life without sports."
What advice would you give people starting out in playing?: "My advice would be to not put yourself down. Even though it seems easy to give up, don't. Stick through it because in the end it will all be worth it."
Anything you would like to say about your coaches and teammates?: "I would like to say thank you to my coaches and teammates. Thank you for pushing me to be the best I can be, not only in the sport but also as a person."
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Gilbert Welcomes Siblings from Mexico
By Debra LaRoche Walls
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Sebastian and Ana Karen Ahumada Villa |
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This fall, two siblings from Mexico City, Ana Karen, grade 11 and Sebastian Ahumada Villa, grade 8, joined The Gilbert School. Due to the rise of the corona virus in Mexico this summer, their parents Bogart And Laura Balmori, wanted their children to attend an American school in an area with the smallest effect of the virus. Their search brought them to the international program at Gilbert.
After the siblings were accepted to the program in late August, Ana Karen and Sebastian immediately began their studies online to get on track with their school assignments. Upon arrival to Connecticut in early September, the family remained quarantined for the standard two-week time period and then moved to a home in the Highland Lake area. The family is enjoying the experience together. Last month, the family joined the rest of the international students in Wallingford at the Freight Feast event for Halloween.
The students are doing an amazing job in their classes. When asked how Ana Karen is enjoying her experience at Gilbert she replied, “I feel so welcomed here. Everyone at the school is super nice.” She is very excited about her classes. Even though she gets a lot of homework she does not find it a struggle. Ana Karen shared that one day she was going to the cafeteria for lunch and she heard a student say, “I hear there is a new girl from Mexico at our school” and I turned around and said, “hey, that’s me!” Ana Karen joined the girls’ soccer team and was thrilled to play in two of the schools’ final games.
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When Sebastian was asked how he is enjoying his stay he said, “Lunch is delicious here! Back home in Mexico we only get snacks for lunch. I never really liked vegetables either but here, I love them.” Swedish meatballs seem to be an Ahumada Villa favorite. Sebastian also joined the school soccer team and shared that he felt very welcomed by all his teammates and his coach. His only regret was that he wished the season was longer. Sebastian added that he likes the way the Gilbert teachers teach, “they tell us what we have to do and then trust you to do your own work.”
Mr. Balmori, father of the children, shared that back home in Mexico when he would ask his children, “How was your school day?” They answered, “Ok.” “But here at Gilbert, it is like a whole new world. They go on and on about all the events of their day.”
Their father added, “I have nothing but excellent comments about The Gilbert School; it’s facilities, its location, its education program, but more importantly about the excellent staff integrated by extraordinary professionals that care for every need of the students and also of the families making us feel welcome in your institution, in your town and in your country.”
Unfortunately, the family will head back home to Mexico in mid-January, to finish their school year. Their Gilbert teachers, friendships that were made, and welcomed addition to the international program, will all miss the academic performance, joy and school spirit that Ana Karen and Sebastian added to our school. We thank them for choosing The Gilbert School and hope they know the amazing mark they will leave on us and that they will always be welcomed by our Gilbert family.
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W.L. Gilbert School Corporation Waiting For Response
From State Legislators
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Last week, W.L. Gilbert School Corporation Chairman Steven Sedlack wrote to Senator Craig Miner and Representative Jay Case in response to the town's recommendation to change legislative language.
The town requests an amendment to State General Statute 10-34, in order to require mediation and arbitration in case the WBOE and The Gilbert School come to a stalemate in attempting to set tuition between both parties.
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Coach's Corner
By Athletic Director Buckley Morgan
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We Made It! The Gilbert School will complete the Fall season this week. All of our postseason games have been completed as scheduled. We did lose some schools due to COVID along the way, but Gilbert managed to stay strong until the end. The Boys Cross Country took second in the BL Championship. The Girls Volleyball team completed the final game of the Volleyball playoffs. Boys Soccer has a final game on Nov. 19 while the Girls Soccer will complete their final game directly after the boys game.
Individual accolades are in order for student-athletes from the Boys Soccer, the Girls Soccer team and Boys Cross Country.
Boys Soccer
Gilbert Flores was selected All-Region first team
Max Cruz was selected All-Region second Team
Caleb Goodall was an Honorable Mention
Girls Soccer
Ajla Gutic Honorable Mention
Rebecca Dowling Honorable Mention
Boys Cross Country
Connor Marchand placed as an All-region all-star
Girls Volleyball
Abbey Beecher was selected second team
Congratulations to all the student-athletes and their coaches for a great season under difficult conditions! You never failed to show others how it's done. Great job and thank you for all the assistance you gave me as I learn this new job.
We now lean forward into the Winter season. Tuesday I received notification that the CIAC board of control had postponed the start of the Winter season until January 19th. This decision was made at least in part due to the rising Covid cases across the state. This will work well for those schools that may move to distance learning from next week till mid-January. Gilbert is not currently in that position but some schools in the BL are. So, for the next six weeks or so the athletics department will be working on staying out of Covids way. But this will be a perfect time for our students to obtain physicals and sign up on Family Id so they may participate in Winter sports in January. I will keep you posted on any developments. I want to take this opportunity to wish all our Gilbert Coaches, student-athletes, and the rest of our Gilbert family and friends a Happy Thanksgiving.
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Google Classroom Cheat Sheet |
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TGS COVID Assessment Guide |
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Travel/Holiday Plans
Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. Please remember if you travel:
1. Please check the travel advisory list for the current states that are on restrictions. Link is here: https://portal.ct.gov/coronavirus/travel
The travel advisory had been updated to include Vermont. If you travel anywhere to places on the list, you must get tested within 3 days of returning to Connecticut. Please provide me with a copy.
The only places that are left that are NOT on the list are: New York, Rhode Island
New Jersey, Hawaii.
2. If you choose to travel, please make sure you follow the travel guidelines-test three days before, or three days after arrival back to Connecticut or quarantine for 14 days. Information needs to be completed and faxed to the State of CT.
3. Be smart, really think through and plan your holiday plans. Most of the recent outbreaks are associated with extended family gatherings or friends-specifically, people thinking that they didn't have to mask around extended family and friends.
COVID Testing
If you get a COVID test. you should get a PCR test. This is having about a 2 day turnaround time now. The rapid tests have a high false negative response. If you are testing for travel, you need to submit your test to the State of CT and it must be a PCR test.
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Free Breakfast and Free Lunch to All Students
Beginning September 14, 2020, The Gilbert School Food and Nutrition Services Program began serving FREE LUNCH and FREE BREAKFAST to all of the students at The Gilbert School. The Gilbert School Food and Nutrition Services Program is able to do this for our students on behalf of the USDA extending the SSO Program (Seamless Summer Operations). Click here for the full story.
Gilbert School Food Services Information
The following links include important information about Gilbert's Food Services Program:
Breakfast and Lunch Available for Virtual Learners
Lunches are available for pick up for students who are taking part in remote learning Monday through Friday at the school. Students can also pick up grab and go breakfasts at the school as well. For more information contact Food Service Director Lynn Metcalf at metcalfl@gilbertschool.org
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Questions About Holiday Gatherings |
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Why is it important to be cautious over the holidays? I’ll only be around my family members who I trust.
Connecticut has been a national leader in our COVID-19 response efforts. However, as the country heads into winter, flu season, and into holiday gatherings – the risk of spreading COVID-19 has become higher, and even Connecticut is seeing a spike in cases.
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Attention Gilbert Alumni! We Want to Stay in Contact With You!
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The Gilbert School
200 WIlliams Avenue
Winsted, CT 06098
860-379-8521
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