Naugatuck Pop Warner’s U12 football team beat Wolcott, 22-0, Nov. 20 to win the Pop Warner Connecticut State Championship. The team advanced to play for nationals and played Nov. 26 at Ames Field in Michigan City, Ind. Pictured, front row from left, Brandon Papp, Justin Soto, David Patton, Jacob Rescigno, Jacob Scianna, Jacob Caetano, Travis Caetano, Raymond Mastropietro, John Bento, Alyssa Jones, Nick Lauer, Aaron Smith; second row from left, coach Michael Caetano, Eric Timaraos, Nick Rossi, Elliott Giorodano, Gamiel Correra, Justin Stone, Zach Posila, Ese Onakpoma, Daniel Testone, David Bien, Ben Papp, Kyle Gardela; third row from left, Jack Bond, Jason Spino, Frankie Ferrari, Ali Mokbal, CJ Smith, Joe Pinho, Jacob Marques, Jimmy Ayash, Ali Syed, Nick Linton, Mike Deitelbaum, coach Joey Fernandes; back row from left, coach Mezzo Bob, coach Dennis Posila, Michael Natkiel, coach Michael Yacavone, coach Dan Smith and coach Dan Griesenauer. -CONTRIBUTED
The Naugatuck Pop Warner U12 team beat Derby, 46-12, Nov. 13 to win the D3 SCPW Southern CT Pop Warner Championship in West Haven. Pictured, kneeling from left, Justin Soto, Eric Timiraos, John Bento, Jacob Caetano, Ali Syed, Ese Onakpoma, David Patton, Jacob Rescigno, Alyssa Jones; middle row from left, coach Michael Caetano, Aaron Smith, Zachary Posila, David Bien, Justin Stone, Elliot Gioradanot, Jacob Scianna, Jacob Marques, Ben Papp, Michael Deitelbaum, Travis Caetano, Kyle Gardella; back row from left, coach Dennis Posila, coach Dan Griesenauer, coach Dan Smith, Jason Spino, Joe Pinho, Nicholas Lauer, Daniel Testone, Jack Bond, Jimmy Ayash, Ali Mokbal, Nicholas Linton, CJ Smith, coach Michael Yacavone, Frankie Ferrari, coach Joey Fernandes, coach Bob Mezzo, Brandon Papp and Michael Natkiel. –CONTRIBUTED
The Naugatuck Pop Warner U10 team beat Ansonia, 34-20, Nov. 13 to win the D3 SCPW Southern CT Pop Warner Championship in West Haven. Pictured, front row from left, Mahar Kellen, Sepulveda Dylan, Lapointe Paul, Mastropietro Mason, Hamilton Shaun, Hyman Jacob, Cummings Brendan, Abate Damon; middle row from left, Segetti Kyle, Gendron Nathan, Ottowell DJ, Teixeira Alexander, Leahy Aiden, Navarro Damien, Gaffney Ty, Ferrucci Vincent, Divine Ezekial; back row from left, coaches Michael Mastropietro, Jay Leahy, Jay Segetti and Christopher Cummings. –CONTRIBUTED
The Naugatuck Pop Warner Pee Wee cheer team recently won second place in regionals to advance to the nationals in Orlando, Fla. Pictured, front row, Victoria Concaugh, Arriana Hamilton, Emily Sanderson, Sophia Onofrio, Alana Dortc; back row, Danielle Johnson, Bella Carisio, Emily Alvarado, Melody Makowski,, Destiney Acevedo, Leilani Marsh, coaches Amy Debreceni, Kim Debreceni, Cheryl DeFala, Noel DeFala and Jamie Beck. Missing from photo, Jen Miller. –CONTRIBUTED
Laurel Ledge Elementary School third-grader Caroline Formentin names and decorates her ‘restaurant’ Nov. 18 during a program as part of the school’s annual Junior Achievement Day. The annual event is put on by parent volunteers who come into classes at the school in Beacon Falls to teach students about business and civics. Formentin’s class built ‘buildings,’ which were then used to form a city and properly zoned. –ELIO GUGLIOTTI
Parent volunteer David Bunk looks on as his daughter, Emma, right, and fellow third-grader Evan Beland work on their ‘buildings’ during Junior Achievement Day at Laurel Ledge Elementary School in Beacon Falls. The annual program is put on by parent volunteers who come into classes at the school to teach students about business and civics. The class built ‘buildings,’ which were then used to form a city and properly zoned. –ELIO GUGLIOTTI
Hop Brook Elementary School students formed a human chain Nov. 18 to pass donated food from the school on Crown Street in Naugatuck to the Naugatuck Ecumenical Food Bank on Spring Street. The food was collected by the students to be donated to the food bank. –LUKE MARSHALL
Hop Brook Elementary School students formed a human chain Nov. 18 to pass donated food from the school on Crown Street in Naugatuck to the Naugatuck Ecumenical Food Bank on Spring Street. The food was collected by the students to be donated to the food bank. –LUKE MARSHALL
Hop Brook Elementary School students formed a human chain Nov. 18 to pass donated food from the school on Crown Street in Naugatuck to the Naugatuck Ecumenical Food Bank on Spring Street. The food was collected by the students to be donated to the food bank. –LUKE MARSHALL
Paul and Lisa (Barry) Fitzpatrick hold a plaque honoring Theresa’s Battleship, an organization named after their late daughter, Theresa, during the annual Paul Harris Dinner Nov. 16 at The Crystal Room in Naugatuck. The Naugatuck Rotary Club honored the Fitzpatricks with the Paul Harris Award for their work with Theresa’s Battleship, which they founded. The foundation raises money for children’s cancer research. The Paul Harris Award is named for the original founder of the Rotary Club. –LUKE MARSHALL
The Naugatuck United Methodist Church held its annual Veterans Appreciation Service and meal to honor veterans Nov. 6. Veterans are pictured with Pastor Peola Hicks, Naugatuck Mayor N. Warren ‘Pete’ Hess and state senators Joan Hartley and Joe Crisco. –CONTRIBUTED
Nearly 450 Naugatuck residents recently participated in the borough’s light bulb swap and exchanged over 2,000 incandescent light bulbs for new, energy-efficient LED bulbs free of charge. The exchange was run in conjunction with Energize Connecticut. Pictured, top row from left, Mayoral Aide Ed Carter, volunteer Rithvik Rajkumar, Mayor N. Warren ‘Pete’ Hess, volunteers Raymond Lucarelli, Antjuan Kizzee, Connor Scott; bottom row from left, volunteer Jazmin Ortiz and Eversource employee Samantha Sojka. –CONTRIBUTED
Naugatuck Firefighters Local Union 1219 hosted its 23rd Dad’s Night at the Firehouse Nov. 2. The event was held in conjunction with the Naugatuck school system’s Head Start Program. –CONTRIBUTED
The Naugatuck United Methodist Church held its second annual winter coat giveaway Nov. 5 for the community. –CONTRIBUTED
Maple Hill Elementary School third-grader Kayla Gendron works on math problems as her father, Kevin, and brother, Nate, look on during a math night Nov. 14 at Big Y in Naugatuck. Big Y hosted a math night for the school for the second year in a row. About 70 students signed up, those who participated were given worksheets with problems to solve. The problems incorporated activities students could do in the store, like finding certain prices and calculating the average number of steps from the milk to the eggs. –ELIO GUGLIOTTI
Prospect Martial Arts students Hunter Morgan, Ashlyn Manual, Payton Lowden, Julia Lowden, Nicholas Sciarretto and owner/instructor Eric Levesque traveled to the 2016 WTSDA World Tang Soo Do Championships in held in Greensboro, N.C. this summer. Prospect Martial Arts captured one silver and five bronze medals in forms, weapons and sparring. –CONTRIBUTED
Irish step dancers from the Horgan Academy volunteered to perform at the Celtic New Year celebration Oct. 29 hosted by the Naugatuck Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians at St. Francis Church hall in Naugatuck. The celebration benefited the Naugatuck Ecumenical Food Bank. Pictured, from left, Meghan, Christian, Lindsey and Horgan Academy Director Irene Horgan. –CONTRIBUTED
Students from Naugatuck High School’s DECA chapter helped out at the St. Vincent DePaul Mission soup kitchen in Waterbury on Oct. 30. Students spent the day providing meals and served over 150 people. –CONTRIBUTED
The Naugatuck High School Alumni Association honored six alumni with the Robert L. Genovese Patriotism Award during its annual Flag Ceremony Oct. 29 at St. Francis Church hall. Pictured, from left, awarded recipients Aldo Pistarelli, Antonio Marques, John Debisschop, James Goggin, presenter Robert Genovese, awarded recipients Kevin Knowles and Joseph D’averso. –CONTRIBUTED
Western Elementary School third-graders sing the national anthem as members of the Naugatuck High School Air Force JROTC present the American flag and the Connecticut state flag during Western’s annual Veterans Day Celebration Nov. 7 at the school in Naugatuck. The event, which was attended by more than 20 veterans, featured patriotic music and a speech by retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Valerie Lofland of the JROTC program. –LUKE MARSHALL
State Rep. Lezlye Zupkus, R-Prospect, along with her two daughters, Reagan Zupkus, 9, right, and Aizlyn Zupkus, 16, wave to people heading to the polls to vote on Nov. 8 at the Prospect firehouse. Zupkus, who was running unopposed, was re-elected in the 89th House District. –LUKE MARSHALL
Naugatuck officials marked the opening of Edible Dreams Custom Cakes at 411 North Main St. with a ribbon cutting Oct. 26. Pictured, from left, Edible Dreams Custom Cakes mascot Sweets the Penguin, Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce Director Courtney Ligi, Naugatuck Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Ron Pugliese, Edible Dreams Custom Cakes owner Ed Hughes, Naugatuck Mayor N. Warren ‘Pete’ Hess and state Rep. David Labriola. –LUKE MARSHALL
Long River Middle School students recently participated in their annual Veterans Day Project. The students assembled 125 care packages for veterans using donations from the community. The packages included handmade ‘Thank You’ cards. –CONTRIBUTED
Naugatuck High School civics and AP U.S. history teacher Teresa Lewis, left, was honored by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation Oct. 26 at A.I. Prince Technical High School in Hartford with a James Madison Fellowship for 2016. Lewis was one of 53 teachers, and the only in Connecticut, awarded the fellowship. The fellowship provides secondary school teachers of American history, American government and social studies with the opportunity to study the Constitution and the founding of American government at Georgetown University, along with a $24,000 scholarship to pay for graduate school. Lewis is pictured with Naugatuck Superintendent of Schools Sharon Locke. ‘This fellowship highlights Teresa’s hard work and commitment to education and her enthusiasm to the subject,’ Locke said. ‘Attaining this honor is quite a feat, and we are so proud of Teresa.’ –CONTRIBUTED
Students in Patricia Corey’s Holocaust class at Woodland Regional High School welcomed Andy Sarkany, a Holocaust survivor, on Oct. 7. Sarkany, who has visited the school three times before, spoke to students about his personal experience during the time of the Holocaust in the Budapest ghetto. –CONTRIBUTED
Terri’s Flower Shop owners Lydia LeBlanc, front center left, and Stephanie Fusco, front center right, celebrate the opening of their new location at 174 Church St. with a ribbon cutting on Oct. 19. Attending the ceremony was, front row from left, state Rep. Rosa Rebimbas, Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce Director Courtney Ligi, Burgess Rocky Vitale; back row from left, state Rep. David Labriola; and Mayor N. Warren ‘Pete’ Hess. –LUKE MARSHALL
City Hill Middle School seventh-grader James Duda walks in St. James Cemetery in Naugatuck Nov. 1 with an American flag as part of annual program coordinated by local veterans and the school to replace the flags at veterans’ graves in the cemetery before Veterans Day. Nearly 1,700 veterans are buried in the cemetery. About 30 middle school students came out to help replace the flags. Students also help replace the flags before Memorial Day. –ELIO GUGLIOTTI
City Hill Middle School seventh-grader Kanny Salike holds flags that need to be replaced while pulling another one from a grave Nov. 1 at St. James Cemetery in Naugatuck. Students participated in an annual program coordinated by local veterans and the school to replace the flags at veterans’ graves in the cemetery before Veterans Day. Nearly 1,700 veterans are buried in the cemetery. About 30 middle school students came out to help replace the flags. Students also help replace the flags before Memorial Day. –ELIO GUGLIOTTI
The Naugatuck Early Childhood Center at Central Avenue recently celebrated the retirement of Ron Longo, right, who served 40 years in the Naugatuck school district as a custodian and 25 of those years at Central Avenue School. Longo was honored with a ‘Ron Longo Day’ celebrated with the children and staff. The event culminated with Mayor N. Warren ‘Pete’ Hess, left, presenting Longo with a proclamation. –CONTRIBUTED
The Prospect Fencing Club conducted a fencing demonstration Oct. 16 at St. Anthony Church’s Pumpkin Patch. Twelve members of the club, ranging in ages from 9 to 18, put on an exhibition for guests. The club is a program under the Prospect Park and Recreation and run by Sandra Marchant, who a top-ranked female vet fencer. –CONTRIBUTED
