Annette G. Festa

Annette G. Festa, 85 of Norwalk, passed away on Friday July 22, 2022 at the Norwalk Hospital. Born the youngest of three daughters to Joseph and Jennie Tirella Festa. She grew up in South Norwalk and attended West Avenue Elementary School, Benjamin Franklin Junior High School and graduated from Norwalk High School in 1955. She earned a BS degree in Elementary Education from Danbury State Teachers College in 1959. During the years at Danbury, she realized her love for mathematics and upon graduation, accepted a position in Norwalk teaching mathematics at Ponus Ridge Middle School.

Her goal to transfer to high school led her to a Masters Program in Secondary Education at the University of Bridgeport, where she earned her degree in 1964. She then transferred to Brien McMahon High School, where she joined a team-teaching program, which turned out to be one of her favorite teaching experiences. To introduce teachers of mathematics to the advent of “New Math”, the National Science Foundation created programs throughout the country. She was fortunate enough to be accepted for seven programs at Hunter College of New York City, Catholic University of America, three at Fairfield University and two at the University of Southern California. One of the programs at USC was in computer programming. After completing that summer program and a course at Hewlett Packard, she returned to Brien McMahon, and with her counterpart in computer science at Norwalk High, they wrote the curriculum for and pioneered the teaching of Computer Science in the Norwalk Public School System in 1972.

While in college, Annette worked part-time at the Hat Factory in Norwalk and taught at Westport Cooperative Nursery School during the summer. She spent seven years at Ponus Ridge, 28 years at Brien McMahon, became Math Department Chairperson in 1978 and remained so until she retired in 1994. During her teaching years at Brien McMahon, she served as Chairperson for the 10-year Evaluation of Brien McMahon by the New England Association of Secondary Schools and was a Committee Member of the team which evaluated Stamford High School. She also served as an advisor to several student organizations, one of which was Computer

Club Advisor, where in 1984 Brien McMahon won the Bronze Medal in Programming at the Connecticut Computer Olympics. She also taught SAT prep courses at the Instruction and Curriculum Center and spent 10 years as a part-time instructor at Norwalk Community College.

Annette received several certificates of recognition for excellence in science and mathematics teaching from the Associated Teachers of Mathematics in Connecticut and the State of Connecticut Presidential Award for excellence in Mathematics teaching. She was recognized by the Norwalk Board of Education in 1981 and 1990 and is on the Norwalk High School Teacher Wall of Honor. Annette has been a member of the Norwalk Teachers Assn, Norwalk Federation of Teachers, CT Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Teachers, Associated Teachers of Mathematics in CT, CT Educators Computer Assoc., and Delta Kappa Gamma Educators Society. She is a member of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish and the Southern Fairfield County Retired Teachers Assn.

Annette loved to travel and took advantage of summers when she wasn’t working or studying to visit many countries, especially Italy, where she still has family who helped with her genealogy research.

Upon retirement, she volunteered at the Red Cross in Norwalk until they merged with Westport. She then began volunteering at St. Thomas the Apostle Rectory, where she served for 27 years. She was also a volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry and served as secretary for the past several years.

Annette was predeceased by her parents; sister and brother-in-law, Rose and Joseph Izzo; and brotherin-law, James Verda. She is survived by her sister, Catherine Verda of Norwalk; sister-cousin, Anna Richter of Norwalk; her most loved nieces and nephews, Fran and Gary Sciarrillo of Fairfield, Lori and David Godin of Wilton, Marc and Erin Godin of Fairfield, and Kristen Godin of Wilton; and by great-great-niece, Ella Catherine Godin.

Friends may call on Wednesday from 9:00 to 10:30 AM at Collins Funeral Home, 92 East Avenue, Norwalk, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial, which will be celebrated at 11:00 AM in St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, 203 East Avenue, Norwalk. Interment will be private.

Donations in her memory may be made to Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 145447, Cincinnati, OH 45250-5447, or to the Connecticut Children’s Foundation, Inc., 282 Washington Street, Hartford, CT 06106.