Frank T. Wheeler Elementary School

(Plainville, CT) The Plainville school district has been recognized with several awards from the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE), according to Superintendent of Schools, Brian Reas.

Linden Street School fourth graders recently spent time learning about the Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City. Students read about the history of the parade and created a timeline to represent the changes that have happened since the parade was established. They also listened to a "read aloud" about the parade, and watched a video to learn about the engineering and art used to create the balloons. Finally, fourth graders created their very own balloons and celebrated by participating in a balloon parade for the kindergarten and first grade students at Linden.

The Middle School of Plainville Robotics program, under the direction of faculty member Camille Westfall, fared well at the first competition of the season held in Greenwich, Connecticut on November 23rd. MSP Team 10931A was ranked 20th out of 28 after qualification, and received sixth place in Finals. Additionally, they were tied for third place in Skills, and won the "Judges Award" at the competition!

Members of the Middle School of Plainville's Art Helper’s Club, led by faculty member, Laura Meehan, recently attended a field trip to the New Britain Museum of American Art. Students were able to experience a guided tour of the Museum's contemporary art collection. The students participated in discussions about art, and had the opportunity to create their own unique piece of Art inspired by the museum collection. The Art Helpers Club is comprised of a group of MSP students who create community service based art projects. In November, the Art Helpers created holiday ornaments for local veterans. They also made hand drawn Thanksgiving cards for residents of Apple Rehab in Plainville.

Public School Superintendents’ (CAPSS) Superintendent / Student Recognition Award and Certificate of Excellence at the annual Superintendent’s Award Presentation held on November 19th, during a luncheon at J. Timothy’s restaurant.

The Middle School of Plainville held their 2024 National Junior Honor Society induction ceremony on November 22nd. The program included a welcome address from faculty member / advisor Victor Terranova, NJHS President Grace Muldoon, and MSP Principal Aimee Roberts. Current members of the MSP NJHS reviewed the qualities of the Honor Society, followed by the induction of five new members for 2024.

Since September, the students in sixth grade Social Studies classes at the Middle School of Plainville have been studying the importance of water. One area of focus was on the causes and effects of drought on communities. Students learned that forest fires and wildfires can be caused by extreme drought conditions, along with other issues. As a result of their studies, the extremely dry local conditions, and the Hawthorne Fire in Berlin, Connecticut, the students wanted to support firefighters in some way. Under the direction of faculty members Stephanie Turbett and Karen Baleshiski, the students spent three weeks planning, organizing, collecting contributions, and putting care packages together, including grab-and-go snacks, for local fire departments and crews working in Connecticut. The care packages were recently delivered to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Incident Command in Newington, Connecticut and the local Plainville Fire Department. As a result of the thoughtful gesture by the Middle School students, a group of firefighters from across the United States and Canada, who are working in collaboration with DEEP, visited the sixth graders at the Middle School on November 21st to share their gratitude and provide an overview of their role in combating fires in Connecticut and across the country. The students also enjoyed a cameo visit from "Smokey the Bear" as part of the event.

The Linden Street School community is supporting those in need through a "food drive" organized by faculty members Kerry Craft and Sarah Baker. The school community filled two large bins with items to be donated to the Plainville Community Food Pantry.

The November Plainville Community Schools “All-Star” award winner, Louis Toffolon Elementary School Paraprofessional, Christiann Jones, was recognized at the November11th Board of Education meeting. The “All-Star” award recognizes students, faculty, staff and community members who go above and beyond in modeling the school district’s Portrait of the Graduate characteristics and demonstrating excellence in alignment with the school district's goals.

A group of Middle School of Plainville students, together with faculty members Camille Westfall and Kim Coyle, attended the Future Workforce Opportunities Fair at the Aerospace Components Manufacturers Aerospace Alley Tradeshow event at the Connecticut Convention Center on October 31. The students interacted with over 100 manufacturers and learned about various career pathways.

A group of Plainville High School students in the high school's Italian language program, together with faculty member Rosy Pitruzzello, recently participated in a Full Immersion Italian Language and Culture Day at UCONN and competed against other Connecticut High Schools in a Quiz Bowl - the Plainville High School student group placed third in the competition!

The Middle School of Plainville's MSPN student group, together with faculty members Kim Coyle and Camille Westfall recently toured WFSB 3. During the visit, they were able to see a professional broadcast studio and production.