The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
First day a half-day because of heat
Torrington, Winsted students return to class in near-record temps
TORRINGTON — It’s cool to go to school, unless a nearrecord high temperature is looming.
With that excessive heat warning in place, the Torrington and Winchester school districts opted to have the first day of school on Wednesday be a half day of school.
All Winchester schools dismissed at 1 p.m., while Torrington schools followed a staggered dismissal schedule beginning just after noon for Torrington High School students.
But even the students who were able to leave early had to arrive on time.
Small groups of parents and students began to gather at Winchester’s Pearson School at 2 Wetmore Ave. about 8 a.m. Colorful balloons with back-to-school themes lined the entry way.
Pearson School Principal Barbara Silverio said the the third floor classrooms have window air conditioners. “We’ll be OK with the heat,” she said. The school enrolls students in third through sixth grade.
Inside the school, fellow teachers and staff members met in the main office and along the corridors. Assistant Principal Kim Roy moved through the hallways greeting her co-workers with a friendly “whoo hoo!”
A new playground will be built this year, Roy said, on the side of the building near Elm Street.
“They’re so excited,” she said about the students. “They’ll be able to watch the excavation.”
The school has an enrollment of 300 students, Silverio said, up slightly from last year. A new fourth grade teacher, Kristen Zander, has joined the faculty and Nicollette Kovacs is the school’s new speech pathologist.
At Torrington’s Vogel-Wetmore School at 68 Church St., students in kindergarten through third grade arrived about 8:30 a.m.
A unique tradition at the school allows a kindergartner
to get a ride to school in a fire truck from the Torrington Fire Department.
Thomas and Jennifer Flinn, the parents of Carter Flinn, 4, entered him in a drawing for the fire truck ride during kindergarten registration day in March. Soon after they learned Carter would be able to join the firefighters in the cab of their truck.
They didn’t tell their son until about two weeks ago, his dad said. Carter’s favorite sentence these days, Thomas Flinn said, is “I’m going to school on a fire truck.”
And sure enough, Carter did. Wednesday morning, a two-person crew driving the TAC 9 truck picked Carter up at his house.
The tradition began about five years ago, according to the department.
Carter was a bit shy about the attention. So were some of the other kindergartners who arrived by bus or with parents. They were a bit unsure of their new surroundings. A few tears were shed.
The school was also a new experience for some older students. A number of the first through third graders had been transferred from the East School, which closed this summer. The decision to close the East School was made by the Torrington Board of Education last November.
Vogel Principal Peter Michelson stood by the school entrance as students lined up to be guided to their new classrooms. He is beginning his second year at Vogel. In a letter to parents on the school’s website, he noted, “For many of you, the upcoming year will be our first time teaming up to educate your child.”
Michelson didn’t directly address the redistricting changes, but he did write about broader decisions. “Each year, a great deal of time and consideration is put into class placements for each of our students. This year the process was conducted with input from teachers across the district.”
“They’re so excited. They’ll be able to watch the excavation.”
Assistant Principal Kim Roy on a new playground to be built this year at Pearson School.