Naugatuck Mayor N. Warren ‘Pete’ Hess, left, swears in Naugatuck police Sgt. Ryan Burns during a ceremony March 22 at the Naugatuck Police Department. –CONTRIBUTED
Western Elementary School student Emma Jackson, center, of Naugatuck competed in the 4th annual Valley Initiative to Advance Health and Learning in Schools Healthy Cooking Competition at Griffin Hospital in Derby on May 23. Pictured with Jackson are Anthony Nakis, who won the competition, from Derby Middle School, Victoria Caiza from Seymour Middle School, Kayla Kilincoglu from Perry Hill School in Shelton and Colin Cepeda from Mead School in Ansonia. –CONTRIBUTED
Cross Street Intermediate School in Naugatuck held a student talent show in May. Pictured, Dylan Trochsler plays ‘Boogie-Woogie’ by Jimmy Dorsey on the piano. –CONTRIBUTED
Cross Street Intermediate School in Naugatuck held a student talent show in May. Pictured, Nora Galvin performs an Irish step dancing routine. –CONTRIBUTED
Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce Director Courtney Ligi, left, and Ron Pugliese, chairman of Naugatuck Chamber Board of Directors and CEO of the Naugatuck Economic Development Corporation, right, present Maria James of Naugatuck with the top prize of $5,000 from the chamber’s Duck Race on June 5. –CONTRIBUTED
From left, Griffin Hospital Vice President of Patient Care Barbara Stumpo presents Diana Konecny of Beacon Falls, Karyn Spaulding of Seymour and Tracy Volpe of Cheshire with 2017 Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing during the hospital’s 31st annual Nurse Day Celebration in Derby. Tania Cote of Naugatuck also received the award. –CONTRIBUTED
Griffin Hospital Clinical Director Kelly Egan, right, presents Edward Valente of Naugatuck with The Mary Schumacher Leadership Award during the hospital’s 31st annual Nurse Day Celebration in Derby. –CONTRIBUTED
Gunntown Passive Park & Nature Preserve Biodiversity Director Al White, in green, led an education walk at Gunntown Park June 3 to celebrate Connecticut Trails Day. –CONTRIBUTED
Fifth-graders at Laurel Ledge Elementary School in Beacon Falls that are involved in the district’s enrichment program held their first Invention Convention on May 16. Students planned and developed an original invention and then presented their idea to their peers and staff. –CONTRIBUTED
Students from the Laurel Ledge Elementary School running club participated in the 5K at the Jill’s Run for MS in Beacon Falls on May 6 after training for eight weeks. –CONTRIBUTED
Naugatuck resident Charlotte Butler, left, was honored May 25 at the State Capitol by state Sen. George Logan for earning an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Post University in May. –CONTRIBUTED
Naugatuck High School students and DECA members Joseph Dempsey, Brian Goggin and Omari Solomon were honored May 23 among the Connecticut Association of Schools’ 2017 Challenge to Educational Citizenship Awards Program winners. Projects submitted for consideration for the award must demonstrate good citizenship, civic awareness and leadership and must provide opportunities for students to help others. Dempsey, Goggin and Solomon organized ‘DECA Boys’ Day’ in January at which NHS junior and senior boys spent a day mentoring boys from fifth through eighth grade to help improve self-esteem and decision making. They were presented the award by NHS senior Tyler Deitelbaum, a member the State Student Advisory Council on Education. Pictured, from left, Dempsey, Solomon, Goggin and Deitelbaum. –CONTRIBUTED
Zois Pizza in Seymour held its 3rd annual pizza eating contest to benefit the Beacon Falls-based Project Purple on June 4. The event raised close to $10,000 for Project Purple, a nonprofit organization with a mission of raising awareness and funds toward a cure of pancreatic cancer. –CONTRIBUTED
Naugatuck Boy Scout Troop 109 collected over 100 bags of food and $650 during its annual food drive for the Naugatuck Ecumenical Food Bank. The scouts are pictured delivering the donations to the food bank on Spring Street in June. –CONTRIBUTED
Kevin Zak of Naugatuck, left, was recognized at the 7th annual Aquarion Environmental Champion Award ceremony at Beardsley Zoo on June 3 for his efforts to clean up and preserve the Naugatuck River and its wildlife. The award recognizes volunteer projects that have significantly contributed to the improvement of environmental quality through the protection, conservation, restoration and stewardship of Connecticut’s water, air, soils, and plant and wildlife habitats. Zak was presented the award by PURA’s Vice Chairman Jack Betkoski, center, and Aquarion’s Vice President of Corporate Communications Bruce Silverstone. –CONTRIBUTED
Casey Carle, right, makes a bubble sculpture on the hand of Julia Dumont, 10, of Naugatuck on June 22 at St. Michael Church’s lyceum in Beacon Falls during a BubbleMania program sponsored by the Beacon Falls Library. –LUKE MARSHALL
Aidan Petrie, 8, of Naugatuck and his grandmother, Meri Petrie, look over a porous rock held by Neil Berro of the Milford-based education program ‘Little Scientists’ during a demonstration at the Grace Lutheran Church’s 11th annual Earth Day celebration on the Town Green on June 4. –LUKE MARSHALL
Diane Wood, left, hands a snow cone to Timothy Hammond of Waterbury during the demonstration at the Grace Lutheran Church’s 11th annual Earth Day celebration on the Town Green on June 4. –LUKE MARSHALL
Naugatuck Fire Department probationary firefighters Tim DeBiase, kneeling, and Nick Traycheff take part in a training exercise on June 23 at the firehouse on Maple Street. The exercise was part of Safety Stand Down 2017, a week-long nationwide program. During the exercise, firefighters had to find an injured colleague, hook up a shared oxygen tank and follow a firehose to safety. Firefighters had to wear a cloth over their mask to simulate zero visibility during a fire. Fire Capt. Michael Chatfield said the department does training throughout the year, but last week was the first time it participated in the Safety Stand Down program. –LUKE MARSHALL
Kat Newsome of Prospect holds a baby goat for Christine Sakocius to pet on June 12 at Beacon Brook Health Center in Naugatuck. Newsome and four other teens were at the health center as part of a program run by Kelly’s Kids, a nonprofit organization in Prospect. Kelly’s Kids recently received a grant from the United Way of Naugatuck and Beacon Falls to host a five-week intergenerational program at the health center. Kelly’s Kids Executive Director Kelly Cronin said the program lets teenagers and older people bond over animals. –LUKE MARSHALL
Naugatuck Patrolman Carl Schaaf, right, purchases a cannoli from Christopher Cawley of The Cannoli Truck on June 24 during the Naugatuck Police Union’s first Food Truck Festival at the Naugatuck Entertainment Facility on Rubber Avenue. The festival raised money for Naugatuck Youth Services’ Back to School Block Party. –LUKE MARSHALL
Officials celebrated the grand opening of Leilani Nail Spa at 1177 New Haven Road in Naugatuck on June 15. Pictured, front row from left, Ion Bank manager Marianne Como, spa owner Hwacha Yie, Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce Director Courtney Ligi, Burgess Lori Jackson; back row from left, state Sen. George Logan, Mayor N. Warren ‘Pete’ Hess, state Rep. David Labriola and Naugatuck Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Ron Pugliese. –LUKE MARSHALL
Naugatuck police Officer Jacob Pinho, right, hands the torch to Patrolman James Tortora in front of the Naugatuck Police Department on Spring Street June 8 during the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Connecticut. Naugatuck police officers carried the torch from the Cross Street Plaza to the Waterbury line on Spring Street where they handed the torch to members of the Waterbury Police Department. –LUKE MARSHALL
The PSC Dynamo Elite 01 team won the division championship at the Nordic Cup Tournament in Vermont and the 2017 spring league championship in the CJSA Elite bracket. –CONTRIBUTED
The Naugatuck Knights U19 boys soccer team won the Connecticut Cup Soccer Tournament June 17. The Knights beat Glastonbury, 1-0, to win the tournament. Pictured, front row from left, Heitor Tomaz, Daniel Pinho, Matheus Santis, Tae Chalermwisutkul, Shaun Walsh, Eduardo Garcia; middle row from left, Tommy Martins, CJ Jacobi, Lucas Cruz, Leo Da Graca, Marc Calle, Matty Carroll, Marco Rebelo; back row from left, assistant coach Alan McNeil, coach John Alves, Zach Powanda, Vinny Knupp, Zach Alves, Sam Rego, Jared McNeil, assistant coach Ed Walsh. Missing: Danilo Assis, Aren Seeger, Arthur Tomaz. –CONTRIBUTED
The Naugy Hounds Travel 10U Mays won the War at the Shore regional baseball tournament in the 10U division played June 3 and June 4 played in East Lyme. The team beat East Lyme BB in the championship game. Pictured, front row from left, Logan Stone, Jayson Heyward, Braydon Edgeworth, Jordan Stanco, Joseph Kovach; middle row from left, Damon Abate, Jose Guzman, Colin Sanderson, Billy Moran, Kevin Cestari, Jack Doxsey; back row from left, coaches Joe Kovach, Dennis Edgeworth, Kevin Cestari, Dave Moran and Mike Stanco. –CONTRIBUTED
The CT Rush Regional Elite soccer team won the NEP Cup and the CJSA State Cup on June 4. The team will be competing and representing Connecticut in Virginia and Indiana this summer. Pictured are Naugy FC U13 players Patrick Osiecki, Jayden Paniagua, Evan Pinto and Aiden Coelho, who play on the team. –CONTRIBUTED
