The Southington
Cit itii zen Southington’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Volume 7, Number 11
Six weeks in, new town manager says he’s jumped right in the fray By Julie Sopchak The Southington Citizen
It’s been a hectic first six weeks for new Town Manager Garry Brumback, coming into the position in the midst of chaotic weather and a busy budget season, but Southington’s newest addition head honcho said he’s adjusting quite nicely, nonetheless. “Quite honestly, it’s been
very beneficial for me because I haven’t had the opportunity to kind of just cruise into it,” Brumback said. “It’s Brumback been kind of a baptism by fire with a lot of things going on.” Brumback, 54, said the help of his staff has been in-
valuable since he started Jan. 31. Because of the urgency of some of the issues he’s had to deal with, it enabled him to get to know everyone he’s been working with more quickly and thoroughly. He also said his predecessor, John Weichsel, didn’t leave him hanging, and he’s optimistic that better times are just around the corSee Manager, page 7
Spelling bees are not just for children Adult spelling bee to benefit education By Julie Sopchak The Southington Citizen
The rules everyone learned in elementary school still apply: “i” before “e” except after “c.” That’s what participants in the Southington Education Foundation’s first Adult Spelling Bee will have to remember when they are competing for bragging rights of being the town’s best speller, as well
as raising money for the foundation, which will then dump the money back into the town’s school system. SEF Vice Chairman Dawn Miceli said she thinks the event is going to be “huge,” with so many different active civic groups in the town like the police department, fire department, town politcians, school departments, just to name a few. “I just think the ability for teams are endless,” she said. “And again it’ll all be for bragging rights of who takes home the trophy.”
SEF Treasurer Alan DeBisschop said he’d seen this done as a fundraiser before, and since the idea of a spelling bee is always connected to children, he thought it would be fun to do one for adults. He said people will work in teams of three. “The important thing is there’s no humiliation,” DeBisschop said. “People aren’t going to feel upset because they don’t know how to spell a particular word.” Also, contestants won’t be re-
See Bees, page 8
Friday, March 18, 2011
Southington DECA shines at conference At the 2011 Connecticut DECA Career Development Conference held on Monday, Southington High School walked away with a number of awards and recognitions. More than 800 students attended from throughout the state and students participated in competitive problem solving exercises from categories of their choice. Nicole Ali, Ryan Masters and Kevin Crispens took home first place in business research for buying and merchandising. Mark Tellerico and Brian Kaminsky took home second place for their problem solving skills in business law and ethics. Kaminsky and Tellerico said this is their first year involved with DECA, and the two are teammates on the school’s football team. See DECA, page 6
Basketball game honors teacher while raising scholarship funds By Julie Sopchak The Southington Citizen It’s been five years since the death of Michael Casale, a staff member at Walter Derynoski Elementary School who passed away suddenly in his early 30s. Nevertheless, the Derynoski staff
members have found a way to keep his name and memory alive with the Michael Casale Scholarship and annual staff basketball game. The game, being held for the fifth year, will be held Wednesday, April 6, from 3:30
See Casale, page 9
Lessons in Diversity
Photos by Deb Mikan
Students at Derynoski Elementary School gather at an assembly to learn about accepting and appreciating people for their uniqueness.