Education
Tim Kopra Middlesex Middle School 911-11-16

From Outer Space to Middlesex Middle School: Astronaut’s Visit

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Eighth grade students at Middlesex Middle School (MMS) learned firsthand what life is like in outer space. Tim Kopra, a NASA astronaut, returned from the International Space Station on June 19, after serving as a flight engineer on Expedition 46 and commander of Expedition 47. A veteran of Expedition 20, Kopra launched with the STS-127 crew and returned to Earth after a 2-month stay with the members of STS-128. ____________

— from the Darien Public Schools “News of the Week Newsletter” 

____________

Selected as an astronaut in 2000, the Austin, Texas native was also in the U.S. Army where he served as commander and Operations Officer of the attack helicopter company and Developmental Test Director for the Comanche helicopter program. He also attended the U.S. Naval Pilot School.

Education
Shelley Somers by Leslie Yager 7-27-16

UPDATE: Brenner Says Newly Hired Middlesex Principal a Strong Candidate

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Updated 4:46 p.m. Wednesday, with information from Superintendent Dan Brenner and elsewhere. The Darien Board of Education on Tuesday approved appointing Shelley Somers, a middle school principal in Greenwich, as the next Middlesex Middle School principal, starting in late August. Superintendent Dan Brenner said Wednesday that Somers’ strengths as a candidate overcame concerns some trouble Somers had earlier in her career when she was owner of a daycare center in which a sleeping child was left on a bus during a field trip. The Board of Education’s approval was unanimous. Somers has been principal of Central Middle School in Greenwich since 2009 and last year was named Connecticut PTA middle school principal of the year by her school’s parent teacher association, based on excelling in “communiction, community involvement and professionalism.”

Education
Middlesex Middle School wikipedia 5-25-16

Middlesex Principal Debi Boccanfuso Leaves for Job with Bridgeport Diocese

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Middlesex Middle School Principal Deborah Boccanfuso has told the school district she’s leaving her job to accept a position with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, Schools Superintendent Dan Brenner announced Tuesday at a Board of Education meeting. Boccanfuso’s new job hasn’t been announced by the diocese. She taught at St. Joseph School in Norwalk before coming to Middlesex Middle School. “She’s built a long, successful career as a teacher, as an assistant principal and as a middle school principal,” Brenner said Wednesday.

Education
Middlesex mural 4-12-16

Mural at Middlesex Middle School Shows Opportunities There for Students

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Along the first floor hallway at Middlesex Middle School (MMS), the finishing touches are being made to an out-of-this-world installation. Students in Art teacher Rebecca Stern’s 8th grade class are completing the first-of-its-kind mural for the school. The mural, which does not have a name yet, has the planet Earth in the center.  

Students representing all the teams and activities orbit the planet. At MMS, students are grouped into teams — four per grade level — which are named by color, such as Red, Yellow, Aqua, Purple, and Green.

Education
Giselle Winegar Charlotte Simari 3-12-16

Human Body Information Fair at Middlesex Middle School

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Sixth graders on the Middlesex Middle School yellow team used knowledge and skills learned in both their English and science classes to research, write a report and create a visual model of one aspect of the human body. 

Their hard work and enthusiasm culminated in a Human Body Information Fair, where parents were invited to learn more about the students’ projects.

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MMS spelling bee winners 3-12-16

Three Winners at Middlesex Middle School Spelling Bee

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The Middlesex Middle School Spelling Bee championship tournament was held  Monday, Feb. 22 to determine Darien’s best speller (aged 10 to 13). From a field of 28 contestants emerged the winning trio of Jacob Grimm (third place), John Phipps (second place), and the school champion, Alex DelVecchio. The event was organized by Social Studies teacher Joe O’Brien and was well-attended by family and friends of the competitors.  The field was strong and every grade level was well represented.

Education

Middlesex Has a New Mascot: Blue, a Dragon

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Middlesex Middle School (MMS) has a new, true “Blue” champion wandering the halls of the Hollow Tree Ridge Road campus. The school’s mascot — the dragon — has gotten a makeover this school year courtesy of members of the MMS Student Council. Alongside the move from a green dragon to a blue one, the student council sponsored a Mascot Design Contest. Aqua team student Keely O’Shea had the winning design (pictured in Blue’s hands above [editor’s note: The district website, where we found this announcement, cuts the bottom part of the picture off]) which will be used on advertisements and T-shirts. “Middlesex has always had a dragon mascot.

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Geography Bee 1

John Phipps Wins Middlesex Middle School Geography Bee

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John Phipps, an eighth grade student at Middlesex Middle School, won the school competition of the National Geographic Bee on Jan. 6 and a chance at a $50,000 college scholarship. ___________

— an announcement from the Middlesex Middle School Publicity Committee

___________

The school Bee, at which students answered questions on geography, was the first round in the 28th annual National Geographic Bee. Seventh grader Alex DelVecchio was the runner-up, and sixth grader Brandon Liu was the third place winner.  Other contestants were Skyler Bennet, Anna Burgess, Grace Hand, Sean Huffert, Riya Krishnan, Maya Nalawade and Jack Roberson. Thousands of schools around the United States and in the five U.S. territories are participating in the 2016 Bee.

Education
MMS Quiz Bowl Team B 2016

Three Middlesex Quiz Bowl Teams Qualify for National Championships

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For the third year in a row, the Middlesex Quiz Bowl Team won the Charter Oak Scholastic Open and took second place for the second straight year. This was the team’s largest tournament to date, with a field consisting of 32 teams from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. __________

— an announcement from the Middlesex Middle School Publicity Committee

__________

 The contestants competed head-to-head to answer questions ranging over the entire spectrum of the middle school curriculum including history, literature, science and fine arts.  They also included current events, sports, and popular culture. “We are so proud of our students, who spent ­­­countless hours after school each week practicing questions in preparation for the tournament.   It is so rewarding for them to see that all that hard work resulted in such success,” said faculty adviser Barbara Ivey. The Middlesex B Team (8th graders Skyler Bennett, Shriya Desai, Jackson Leone, John Phipps, and Conway Zhou) defeated The Middlesex A Team (8th graders Nick Derby, Grace Hand, Riya Krishnan, Maya Nalawade, and Jack Roberson) in an exciting final match.  The Middlesex B Team finished 9-0, and the A Team finished 8-1.