Charise Siblings Sell Kid-Created Art for a Cause; Youngest Exhibitors at Westport Fine Arts Festival
Ashley and Austin Charise stand inside their booth surrounded by the student-created art, all of which is being sold for a good cause. Austin (11) and Ashley (9) Charise had the idea to join the Westport Arts Festival this year, however when they realized how large of an event it is and that they would be juried, they went back to the drawing board as they worked to meet their goal of obtaining a booth that displayed art created by fellow elementary schoolers.
Thinking about how to enter the show as elementary schoolers, and with guidance from the Downtown Merchant’s Association, the siblings were able to find a sponsor in their parents’ local business and with help from local artist Miggs Burroughs and the Drew Friedman Community Arts Center - and their booth was secured. With a spot on Brooks Corner, they were the youngest exhibiting members of the Festival and enjoyed meeting the artists who worked alongside them to sell their art to the community.
Their booth exhibited art from Westport elementary schoolers, from 5 to 11 years old. Each piece required a $20 fee to enter, which was donated to the international charity BuildOn. The artist named their price for their pieces, and when sold, they collected 80% of the sales - with the other 20% also going towards BuildOn.
The Charise siblings have a goal in mind with those BuildOn donation dollars: build a school in Malawi, Africa. As of Sunday, they had raised nearly $1,500 dollars towards their goal, with hope that Sunday afternoon will bring more success as the festival comes to a close at 5:00 PM today.
Three Staples Students Chosen to Represent USA at Hwa Chong Institution International Summit
Press Release, Westport Public SchoolsNatalie Bandura, Erin Durkin and Allison Schwartz will represent Staples High School at the Virtual HCI-APYLS 2021 event.
As one of the premier schools in Singapore, Hwa Chong Institution is eager to share its success with other high performing schools and to learn from others. For that reason, HCI has organized the Hwa Chong Asia-Pacific Young Leaders Summit which takes place virtually this year in July. HCI invites only the top student leaders from some of the best schools around the world to the Summit. In previous years, student participants came from Australia, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Oman, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, United Kingdom, US and Singapore.
For the past eight years, Westport has been invited to send three juniors who are both high performing students AND interested in world affairs with a special interest in Asia. The criteria used by HCI are: a) you must be between 16 and 17 years of age; b) you must possess good oral and written proficiency; c) you must have substantial leadership experience and potential; d) you must be academically able and among the top performers in the school; e) you must possess enthusiasm and strong interest in forging ties with fellow students from around the world. The 80 student delegation invited to HCI is selective.
Congratulations to the delegates who will join students from Scarsdale High School (New York) and Dominion High School (Virginia) as representatives from the United States.
Staples Softball Beats Darien, Celebrates Seniors, in Last Regular Game of Season
The Staples High School Varsity Softball Team (L-R, Back): Assistant Coach Dana Seymour, Jill Backus, Gabby Lantier, Caroline Coffey, Ally Schwartz, Tash Taubenhiem, Jen Westphal, Coach Bob Olah; (L-R, Front) Kate McDonald, Grace Alfero, Oliva Bernard, Ava Vincini and Miranda RodriguezUnder the bright lights of the Greens Farm School field, the Staples Varsity Softball Team beat Darien 5-4, bringing their season to an exciting 14-3 record.
Photos and story by Colleen Coffey for The Westport Local Press. Last night’s game was the last regular game of their season, with families, friends, and community members in attendance to cheer on the team while celebrating the outgoing seniors. The warm Spring evening welcomed the small crowds to the school’s ball field, with some attending the game on Facetime.
Members of the Staples Wreckers Softball team high five seniors Jill Backus.The graduating teammates were able to finish their high school softball career on a high note after losing last year’s season. Class of 2021 members include Jill Backus, Olivia Bernard, and Miranda Rodriguez
A close score marks a hard-fought win for the Wreckers. Backus and Junior Ava Vincini scored big by hitting two triples during the game, while Junior Pitcher Tasha Taubenhiem threw nine strikeouts against the Blue Wave.
The team will begin their FCIAC matches (Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference) tomorrow at 4:00 PM at the Wakeman Field on Cross Highway.
Celebrating the Class of 2021
Going with the Flow
Saugatuck Rowing Club junior rowers went with the flow this evening as they awaited direction from their instructor boat while practicing on the Saugatuck River.