Education
DHS graduation march

DHS Graduates Celebrate Culmination of High School and Commencement of the Rest of Life

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Darien High School’s 2021 graduation ceremony combined congratulations on getting through high school during the COVID-19 pandemic with the regular high school graduation themes — life advice, thankful appreciation and assurance that the graduates have what it takes to succeed in the future. The 321 graduating seniors had a sunny late spring day and blue sky to accompany speeches filled with hope and optimism. In a speech that focused on gratitude, Valedictorian Eleanor Chase offered the audience a cookbook-like “list of ingredients you’ll need to make a high school graduate,” including “one awkward fourteen year old,” 30 teachers, two bus drivers and a supportive family. “Put the 14-year-old in a brick building for four years at approximately 70 degrees: decorate with cap and gown.” She added: “But, between all the congratulations and cords and handshakes of today, I hope we all remember everything else on that ingredient list.”

Darien High School 2020-2021
DHS Graduation speeches Eleanor Chase James Strong

Graduation Speeches from DHS Valedictorian Eleanor Chase and Salutatorian James Strong

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Here are the full texts of the speeches boy Valedictorian Eleanor Chase and Salutatorian James Strong speeches, as prepared, at Darien High School’s Wednesday graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2021:

The speeches were provided by Darien High School. At the bottom of this article, you can watch the full graduation ceremony video from DAF Media.)
Valedictorian Elanor Chase
The recipe for a high school graduate isn’t easy to pull off, but with a lot of time, a lot of love, and an ungodly amount of patience, it can be done. I’ve assembled a list of ingredients you’ll need to make a high school graduate:

● 1 awkward fourteen year old
● 30 teachers
● 10 administrators
● A dedicated maintenance staff
● 2 bus drivers
● a dozen friends, and
● 1 supportive family

Put the 14-year-old in a brick building for four years at approximately 70 degrees: decorate with cap and gown. Making a high school graduate is often seen as a singular feat of achievement for the graduate. I mean, going from that awkward 14-year-old who can’t even tell the difference between the B wing and the F wing, and is too embarrassed to even ask directions until they’re completely lost and on the brink of tears, to an almost fully-functional adult?

Darien High School 2020-2021
DHS Graduation 2021

Going to Darien High’s Graduation Today? Police Have These Traffic and Parking Regulations

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The Darien Police Department advises that the following traffic regulations are being put into effect for the area surrounding Darien High School on Wednesday June 16, starting at 4 p.m.
 — an announcement from Darien police
—As in previous years, all traffic will enter the high school grounds via Noroton Avenue.  Vehicular traffic will not be permitted to enter the area via High School Lane or Nutmeg Lane. Officers will be present to direct all vehicles to appropriate and designated parking areas. —All vehicles will be properly parked so as to facilitate and expedite the safe flow of vehicles at the conclusion of the graduation ceremony. —If needed, vehicles will be parked on both sides of Nutmeg Lane and High School Lane facing away from Darien High School. —Motorists are asked to pay particular attention to posted “No Parking” areas.  Previous experiences have resulted in illegally parked vehicles blocking driveways or restricting access to emergency vehicles.

Darien High School 2020-2021
Something Rotten! image Theatre 308

Theatre 308 to Perform ‘Something Rotten!’ Musical in Courtyard, Online, Memorial Day Weekend

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Theatre 308 is proud to present the hit Broadway musical Something Rotten! Memorial Day weekend at Darien High School. For the first time in school history, the DHS’s spring musical will take place outdoors in the courtyard. — an announcement from Theatre 308
The show goes up for live, in-person performances on May 27 to 30, 2021, with all shows starting at 7 p.m.
Set in the 1590s, Something Rotten tells the tale of brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom, who are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rock star known as “The Bard.” When a local soothsayer foretells that the future of theatre involves singing, dancing, and acting at the same time, Nick and Nigel set out to write the world’s very first musical. But amidst the scandalous excitement of opening night, the Bottom Brothers realize that reaching the top means being true to thine own self, and all that jazz.

Darien High School 2020-2021
Darien High School entrance

U.S. News Rates Darien High School Best in Connecticut, 201st Nationwide

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Darien High School came out tops in Connecticut in the latest U.S. News & World Report high school rankings, and the school tied for No. 1 nationwide in “math and reading proficiency.” The magazine ranked the school 201st out of 17,857 U.S. News looked at across the nation, including 205 in Connecticut.. The magazine has six factors in ranking high schools besides math and reading proficiency (which accounted for 20% of the overall ranking scores). The biggest factor is “college readiness,” which accounts for 30% (Darien ranked 6th in the state; 539th nationwide).

Healthy Living
COVID-19 Coronavirus lab technician https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=3671

DHS Vaccination Event Registration Now Open for All Teens Aged 16 and Up

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All Darien High School students aged 16 and up can now register for the outdoor vaccination clinic in the parking lot of the former Lord & Taylor store, Darien Health officials announced Tuesday. Registration was offered last week to Darien High seniors for the same clinic dates: May 1 and May 22 (both Saturdays) from 1 to 4 p.m. The appointment time selected for the first vaccination will be the time the student will be scheduled for the second, on May 22. The announcement came from Alicia Cassuci, the school district’s director of nursing services and town Health Director David Knauf. When Darien teachers were given vaccines at Saturday clinics, enough of them suffered so many side effects that three schools had to be cancelled for the following Monday. Full Text of the Announcement
This announcement was emailed to Darienite.com at 10:01 a.m., Tuesday:
Dear Darien High School Families,
We are thrilled to announce, in collaboration with the Community Health Center (CHC), a Pfizer COVID vaccine clinic has been scheduled for Darien High School students.

COVID-19 2021

DHS Seniors Can Register for COVID-19 Vaccinations; One Fully Vaccinated Darienite Caught COVID

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Darien High School seniors can now register to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on May 1, and the second dose on May 22 at the parking lot of the former Lord & Taylor store in Stamford, Darien officials announced. “We anticipate opening the registration link to all students over 16 years of age or older by next week,” the announcement from schools Nursing Director Alicia Casucci and town Health Director David Knauf said. In a separate announcement, First Selectman Jayme Stevenson said Darien has had 58 new cases during the two-week period since April 2. “We are tracking information about folks who are fully vaccinated who then contract COVID,” Stevenson said in her regular, weekly COVID-19 update. “Only one such case has occurred in Darien so far.”

COVID-19 2021
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Thursday Night Announcement: Another 63 in Schools Quarantined, Including Eight With COVID-19

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A total of 63 people in the Darien school district — students, staff or both — were  quarantined after eight of them tested positive for COVID-19, district officials announced late Thursday night. The people quarantined include 34 (with five people testing positive) from Darien High School; one from Middlesex Middle School (who tested positive); and 21 from Tokeneke School (which had two people testing positive). The announcement from Schools Superintendent Alan Addley and district Nursing Director Alicia Casucci was received by Darienite.com at 9:15 p.m.

The people testing positive at Darien High School were last in the building April 1, 6, 7 and (in two cases) Thursday, April 8; the one at Middlesex on April 1; the two at Tokeneke on March 31 and Thursday, April 8. Before the Thursday night announcement, the school district said on its website that as of 10 a.m., Thursday, there were 216 school district community members in quarantine, including 26 testing positive for COVID-19. Twelve hours later, at 10 p.m., the “dashboard” page on the website was updated to state that there are now 34 people associated with the district that have tested positive and 248 in quarantine (see image, below).

COVID-19 2021
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Vaccines: Saturday is Jab Day for Teachers, Town Hall Continues Shots, Town Hopes to Organize Vaccines for Students

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Teenagers aged 16 and up can try to get a vaccine appointment now or as soon as they can, but town officials hope to organize a student vaccine clinic for late April or May, First Selectman Jayme Stevenson said in her latest COVID-19 update to the town. Schools Superintendent Alan Addley, in his COVID-19 update to parents and district staff, said the governor and state Department of Public Health have asked vaccine providers to wait until the secon half of April to schedule clinics specifically for high school students. With anyone aged 16 and older now eligible to get the vaccine in the state, Stevenson said in her Thursday message, “There are over 1 million people in this expanded age group so please be patient as you seek vaccine appointments.” Stevenson reported that the town has had a “significant increase” in pandemic cases over the past two weeks, with 101 new cases (one hospitalized), and 3.95% of town residents testing positive for COVID-19 (which is a percent lower than the state’s rate — 4.45%). As of Thursday, Stevenson said, there were 1,397 total cases from 885 unique households.

Education
Presidential Scholar Candidates 2021

Seven DHS Seniors Selected as Candidates for U.S. Presidential Scholars Program

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Seven Darien High School seniors have been selected as candidates for the United States Presidential Scholars Program. — an announcement from Darien High School

Eleanor Chase, Alexander DelVecchio, Nicholas Liu, Alexander Oh, Christina Pizzani, Vincent Xu and Ethan Zhang have been identified based on broad academic achievement and having scored exceptionally well on the SAT or ACT. The United States Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by Executive Order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our Nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. Each year up to 161 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the Nation’s highest honors for high school students.

Coronavirus 2020
Darien Public Schools

Forty More Darien High School Students Quarantined, as Is Holmes Principal [UPDATE 2]

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Update, 8:54 p.m. — Forty people at Darien High School are considered “close contacts” of one person who tested positive for COVID-19 and was last at Darien High School on Wednesday, Superintendent Alan Addley and Nurse Alicia Casucci said in an announcement to parents at about 6:30 p.m., Thursday. The emailed announcement said in part:
“The affected person has been instructed to remain home in self-isolation for 10 days and have been provided with additional instructions to follow prior to returning to school. Family members have also been instructed to self-quarantine and get tested. “It was also determined 40  individuals are considered close contacts and require to be quarantined. All individuals have been notified and given further instructions regarding quarantine and further evaluation.  The high school building also received additional cleaning.”