News
Dunn Graduation 2018

DHS 2018 Graduation Speeches from Principal Ellen Dunn and Education Board Chairman Tara Ochman

By |
Download PDF

Darien High School’s Class of 2018 got plenty of advice from speakers at Thursday’s commencement ceremony. Here are more speeches from the event:
Ellen Dunn, DHS Principal
Good evening Members of the Darien Board of Education, Dr. Dan Brenner, colleagues, parents, grandparents, guests and most distinguished members of the Darien High School Class of 2018. I am informed that following a long standing tradition at DHS, you will hand me a small token as you receive your diploma. You have chosen a puzzle piece, every one a small part of something bigger. Unique in shape and color, it represents your individuality and the mark you have made on this place and on those who have shared this journey with you.

Education

Student Speeches from 2018 DHS Graduation Day

By |
Download PDF

Here are the full texts of the speeches given by students at Darien High School’s Class of 2018 graduation on Thursday, as provided by the high school:
Welcoming Remarks
Amanda Blaze, Community Council President

Good evening and thank you all so much for coming. I would like to acknowledge and thank a few people that will be a part of the ceremony tonight and have made an invaluable impact on our school community. Thank you to our Board of Education chair, Mrs. Ochman, and the members of the Board of Education here with us onstage. Thank you to our superintendent, Dr. Brenner. Thank you to our amazing principal, Mrs. Dunn, whose love for each and every one of us is evident in the work that she does every day, and to our assistant principals, Dr. Greenwood, Mr. Schoenbart, and Mrs. Dimoulas.

Education
Processional DHS graduation 2018

Class of 2018 Graduates With Pomp, Cheers, Humor and Earnest Advice

By |
Download PDF

Students and school officials at Darien High School’s graduation ceremony on Thursday gave the Class of 2018 plenty of advice, with humor on the side, occasional moving moments to add to the traditions of robes and marching, the throwing of mortar boards and the receiving of diplomas. The sun shone bright and hot, the speeches were relatively short and the ceremony appeared to have gone as planned — but the speeches had their own original touches on common themes. Here’s a sampling of what the speakers said:

Darien Public Schools Superintendent Dan Brenner, at presumably his last Darien High School graduation as he leaves for the United Nations International School, asked grandparents in the crowd to stand up, and then, parents who were attending the first graduation of any of their children, and other parents. “This is a day of celebration,” he said, “one that is filled with may emotions, not the least of which is pride.” Brenner quoted a Chinese saying, “One generation plants the trees while the next generation enjoys the shade.”

Education
Tokeneke School Mural

Tokeneke School’s New Mural; When Moving Up Ceremonies Take Place This Week

By |
Download PDF

Tokeneke Principal Mary Michelson can now easily spot the school’s mascot from anywhere inside the school’s Common Room. Nestled among the painted trees, the Tokeneke “Eagle” is a prominent feature of a new mural painted by Darien High School students and commissioned by the fifth-grade class. “Every year at Tokeneke School our fifth-graders donate a gift to the school. This year they voted to have a mural painted in the Common Room,” said Michelson. “It is a true collaboration of talents between the two schools.”

Darien Public Schools (DPS) Art Coordinator Jaclyn Sammis and DHS student artists Liam Morrill, Nadia Czebiniak, Julia O’Brien, Emma Seely, and  Alex Adelman completed the mural and presented it to the school. __________

See also: Darien Student Wins 1st Place in Oils Category, Another Darienite Gets 3rd Place for Photo in Rowayton Art Exhibit (June 18)

__________

Tokeneke was scheduled to hold its moving up ceremony this morning, Monday, June 18 at 9:15 a.m. in the Common Room.

Education
Ambassador Juan Alfredo Buffa Ramírez,

Paraguay’s Ambassador Visits Darien High School Spanish Class

By |
Download PDF

Paraguayan Ambassador and General Cónsul Juan Alfredo Buffa Ramírez recently visited Darien High School students in the Spanish 4 Honors class.  

The ambassador, who has worked extensively at the United Nations and has represented Paraguay in many parts of the world, spent two hours at the high school, answering questions and vividly bringing to life his beautiful country, little known to most local residents. — an announcement from Darien High School
For the past three years, students in the Spanish class have written letters to the consulates of Latin American countries — not emails, but traditional letters, printed on bond paper, signed and placed in printed envelopes and taken to the Post Office. While practicing writing formal letters in Spanish, they have politely requested that the diplomats personally visit the school, or engage in a videoconference with their classes. Spellbound students and teachers had a keen desire to visit Paraguay after meeting the personable Ambassador Buffa.

Education
Darien High School DHS 9-13-16

Darien High School Ranked 9th Best School in CT by US News

By |
Download PDF

Darien High School is the ninth best in the state, according to U.S. News, which calls the school a winner of one of its “gold medals.” Nationwide, Darien ranks 410th best, overall. U.S. News says it comes up with its rankings “based on their performance on state-required tests and how well they prepare students for college.” The magazine’s 2018 “Best High Schools” survey covers 20,500 public high schools across the country, with rankings for 5,948 of them. DHS ranks 22nd best nationwide in STEM — science, technology, engineering and math subjects.

Sports

Darien/New Canaan Turkey Bowl Tickets Available Online

By |
Download PDF

Tickets to this year’s Turkey Bowl may be purchased online in advance of the football game, and paper tickets also will be sold on Thanksgiving morning at Boyle Stadium in Stamford, officials say. Those who wish to purchase their $10 tickets in advance may do so here, according to New Canaan High School Athletic Director Jay Egan. Both Darien and New Canaan fans buy tickets at the same Web page. Children ages 5-and-under get in for free. The online purchase option is being presented by Darien High School as the “home” team this year.