![]() Note from the Editor: This is an article in a series called "Wethersfield Heroes," where our students work to highlight and honor those in our community going above and beyond amidst the tumultuous year. If you know someone that you would like to nominate as a Wethersfield Hero, please contact Mr. Martin at [email protected]. ![]() by: Olivia Dizes Being a new teacher is a tough job. Teaching during a pandemic is a tough job. But being a new teacher during a pandemic? That’s got to be one of the hardest jobs I can imagine. As it is, teaching just isn’t for everyone. It takes a special skill set to be a teacher and takes a tremendous amount of patience. Kelly Southwick, a fourth-grade teacher at Hanmer Elementary School, hasn’t taught a year without the effects of COVID. Last year was her first year teaching, and she only got half of a normal year. She’s had to adjust to her job and to the ongoing pandemic all at once. However hard the job may be, Mrs. Southwick has taken it in stride and never fails to do her best to make her students feel safe, happy, and productive during this time. Before the pandemic, I was able to see firsthand how amazing she is with her students. She cares for the children like her own and does whatever she needs to do to help them out. Mrs. Southwick also says that Hanmer’s school community has been great, and they’ve all come together to make this as normal and as fun as they can, since collaboration is huge this year. Focus has had to shift to adjust to try and get the kids back to where they were at the end of last year and beyond. Thinking outside the box is the defaut, like using baking to teach fractions. She’s been incorporating fun auditory and visual ways for students to learn away from the chromebook. While the pandemic threw a curveball, Mrs. Southwick seemed to hit a home run on the hardest pitch she could get. She says that she’s been able to still build her valuable relationships with her students and coworkers. “I think when you’re in a difficult situation, it forces you to come closer than you normally would and really think outside the box and push yourself in ways you normally wouldn’t,” she said. She says this time has been an important test, because you push yourself in ways you normally wouldn’t to be the best educator you can. The past year has been a group effort, and the response from students and coworkers has made it all worth it. As a student myself, I would say one of the hardest parts of this year was forming relationships with your teachers, which are easily lost through a computer screen. However, Mrs. Southwick has managed to build lasting bonds with her students and never fails to keep them not only engaged, but excited to learn. She told me that the kids are more open this year, that they’re looking for a strong base; someone to lean on, someone to learn with, someone to laugh with. “I think you connect on a deeper level. Kids lean on you more and want to make a greater connection with you because there’s a new barrier that’s in the way.” Throughout what has been the hardest year for both students and teachers, Mrs. Southwick has done the most for her students, even giving up her summer to teach online summer school at Hanmer. When asked if there was any time in the past year where things got overwhelming she immediately said no. “I think when you really love what you do, it’s easy to rise to the occasion.” She has a true passion for her work and it shows. Her students adore her as a teacher and as a friend, and she’s proven to be a staple in the Hanmer community, with many more successful years to come.
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![]() Note from the Editor: This is an article in a series called "Wethersfield Heroes," where our students work to highlight and honor those in our community going above and beyond amidst the tumultuous year. If you know someone that you would like to nominate as a Wethersfield Hero, please contact Mr. Martin at [email protected]. ![]() by: Chase Millen and Noah Terzo The outgoing sports broadcaster of all sports at Wethersfield high school for all sports that is loved by everyone. He started his broadcasting career during his freshman year due to the fact that he always looked up to his father who was a broadcaster himself. It seems like he is going to have a future in broadcasting due to the fact that he loves doing it, and when asked if he would like to do it as a profession, he replied, “I’d like it to be my job and/or profession. I love doing it, and I feel like I make my dad proud.” His family, his father especially, are huge inspirations to him and they make him want to make them proud. Jimmie is loved by everyone playing sports for the high school, along with the players’ families. Along with broadcasting, he also does the play-by-play from every sideline and posts them for the family members that can’t make it to the games. During COVID restrictions, this was vital, as many families could not attend games like they have in the past. But it’s not just the job he loves, he also loves WHS student-athletes. He said, “All the guys on the team are really cool and nice. My family loves what I do and supports it.” He enjoys broadcasting not only because he wants it to be his profession, but also because he enjoys watching all of his fellow classmates play every day while doing it. He loves being part of the team and is glad he got this opportunity. Not only does he do the announcements for the home games, but sometimes he even hops on the bus with the team and takes the ride to some of the away games to do play-by-play there as well. He broadcasts for almost all of the high school sports from spring sports like baseball, winter sports like basketball, as well as the fall sports like soccer, among several others. While Jimmie is not only making his family proud, he is also making many new friends, as well as entertaining all of the players' families at the same time. Without Jimmie through these tough COVID times, a lot of the parents would be a lot less informed of their child's sports, since they may not be able to attend. All of these reasons show why Jimmie is a true Wethersfield Hero. ![]() Note from the Editor: This is an article in a series called "Wethersfield Heroes," where our students work to highlight and honor those in our community going above and beyond amidst the tumultuous year. If you know someone that you would like to nominate as a Wethersfield Hero, please contact Mr. Martin at [email protected]. ![]() by: Morgan Sargis Katie Cognata is a 1st grade teacher from Hamner Elementary, and is teaching and supporting first graders through a pandemic. She is making sure everyone of her students is learning and stays engaged while also following the rules of COVID. One of the questions I asked Mrs. Cognata was how did social distancing affect your teaching, and she said, “They need a lot more support, or just a hug, and finding other ways to give the kids the emotional support they need.” What I remember from elementary school is totally different from what these kids are experiencing, they have to learn to be separated from each other, and right now they can't get that physical support, so it can be a challenge for them. Another question I asked her was how good her kids were with masks, since even some of the high schoolers don't even wear the mask right. Cognata said, “They were really good, I laugh because I think the kids are better with masks than some adults are sometimes. At the beginning we had mask breaks, but sometimes the masks were too big and would slip down, but they would pull it right back up.” With this answer she gave me I found so crazy how all these little kids can be so good at doing this one thing that keeps everyone safe, and are way better than some adults out there. Another question I wanted to know was if she had any new routines in her classroom she had to do because of COVID, this was her response: “in 1st grade, we are trying to teach the kids to be independent, so in past years I would have kids take control of the lunch count, and a lot of materials were shared, and that's where it had to change since we can't share materials.” One last question I had was how adjusting to virtual and hybrid teaching was difficult to adjust. ”It was definitely challenging, because with first graders, you can tell if they are losing attention and walk over, but working at home I can't do that, and there are more distractions at home. There are things I can control in the classroom, but not at home.” I could definitely relate to this question because I know when I was virtual, since I had my phone right next to me, and the teacher wasn't there to tell me to put my phone away, it would be such a distraction, and made me not do so well, so I know what these kids are feeling when virtual. A big thank you to Katie Cognata for helping the students by putting in the work and adjusting to a whole new way of teaching that no one has ever experienced before, and making the most out of it. Katie is just one of the many teachers in Wethersfield Public Schools that are giving it their all and overall just being supportive with this crazy school year. ![]() Note from the Editor: This is an article in a series called "Wethersfield Heroes," where our students work to highlight and honor those in our community going above and beyond amidst the tumultuous year. If you know someone that you would like to nominate as a Wethersfield Hero, please contact Mr. Martin at [email protected]. ![]() by: Ava Ahmetovic The year 2021 has brought many negative things to light in the Wethersfield community, but there were many who rose to the occasion to make the year better. Introducing Carrie Anzidei, founder of The Crimson Team Kindness Club and teacher at SDMS. She is also a teacher at SDMS. For those wondering what the club is, she explains: “Crimson Team Kindness Club is a way for students to create, implement and be kind in a socially distant manner during the Pandemic. Our club has been involved in several projects such as sending homemade holiday cards to active servicemen and women who were serving abroad (we partnered with Kids4Vets---Mrs. Sally Distoli made that possible), wrote out holiday cards to Seniors in the Wethersfield community to spread some holiday cheer, and coordinated a small food drive just with kind members dropping food at the town hall. “ Their biggest contribution is proudly donating to the Humane Society drive. With no exaggeration, Mrs. Anzidei’s car was completely full with donations! Mrs. Anzidei takes pride in how her students took on the leadership role. The students, she says, “are the real driving force of this club and each week at our Friday meetings. They set the agenda and discuss potential kindness ideas; which is very impressive to watch how they coordinate and respectfully give their input.” Again, she is proud to be in coordination with the following students: Catherine, Jenevieve, Denisa, Sophia, Madison, Grace, Natalie, Emily and Sara. In the future, the Team Crimson Kindness Club will be looking to do a school-wide food drive, they also want to continue to spread the word about their group and kindness. The original idea behind this club is that Mrs. Anziedei feared for how her students would not have much interaction with others being isolated in their homes. She made a calendar and linked it to all the Crimson Team at SDMS. She stated, “It was really important to the teachers to be able to provide that outlet for our students and it was all voluntary to attend if they wanted to join us.” At the moment they have 9 members, and they are always open to new members for the crimson team. Mrs. Anzidei represents what a hero truly is. In this community, she really is an amazing teacher, mother, and HERO. |
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