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Press Coverage

Stamford's Hannah Chuckas, diving champ, finds joy in music, songwriting

January 31, 2023 | Dave Stewart

Hannah Chuckas performs one her songs on TikTok. The cover image for Hannah Chuckas's song "You're The Only One For Me" on Spotify. Westhill-Stamford diver Hannah Chuckas added the State Open title to her resume.

Stamford schools add only one holiday — Eid al-Fitr — to calendar after months of debate

January 26, 2023 | Ignacio Laguarda

The Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr, celebrated on April 10 next year, will be a day off of school for the 2023-24 school year. The holiday had never been included in Stamford's school calendar in the past. ...

Stamford schools agree to new administrators contract after union cuts its raise demands to 9.5%

January 26, 2023 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — School officials have reached an agreement with the union representing principals and assistant principals on a new three-year contract after two city boards voted against the ...

Stamford school administrator contract heads to state arbitration: Everything 'back on the table'

January 17, 2023 | Ignacio Laguarda

High school principals in the city make an average of $204,716 a year, while elementary and middle school principals take home a yearly salary of about $184,387. ... Matt Forker, co-president of the SAU and ...

Stamford schools' proposed $313M budget cuts teachers, special ed para-educators amid rising energy costs

January 14, 2023 | Ignacio Laguarda

The Stamford school budget has increased an average of 2.46 percent every year for the past eight years. ... Stamford Public Schools is still recovering from a massive cut of $12.5 million in 2020 just as ...

Stamford school board committee OKs new holidays, returns Columbus Day to calendar after public outcry

January 12, 2023 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — Catholic, Muslim and Indian holidays were added to the Stamford Public Schools calendar for the upcoming school year, which was approved Tuesday night by a school board ...

December 2022

New Stamford school administrator contract costs $1.49M but denying it could cost more, lawyer says

December 29, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — Denying a new contract for Stamford school administrators may not save the city any money at all, and might even cost taxpayers more, according to a school board attorney. ...

A Stamford Fulbright teacher has 6 months to find out.

December 28, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — This New Year's Day will be a drastic departure for Ruth-Terry Walden. ... Walden said at a meeting of the Stamford Board of Education's Labor Committee in September. ... So to ...

1 in 2 Stamford students are Hispanic and overall enrollment is on the rise, report shows

December 22, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — Hispanic and Latino students are now the majority of the Stamford public school population according to enrollment data just released by the district. ... The Ecuadorian-born mother ...

Stamford's Westhill and Roxbury school replacements will cost $387M.

December 21, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — Two schools only a few yards away from each other in Stamford are slated to be torn down and rebuilt for about $387 million — and the state has agreed to put down roughly $292 ...

This teacher encouraged kids in Stamford and Norwalk to find a purpose.

December 20, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

The late Roberson — a former Norwalk Public School teacher, academic director at education nonprofit Horizons and volunteer at Stamford's Cradle to Career — often spoke about finding one's purpose in life. ...

Columbus and Veterans days back on Stamford school calendar as days off; Diwali added too

December 19, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

After release of the first draft 2022-23 school calendar, a group of Stamford Italian-Americans showed up at the Board of Education meeting to protest the idea of no longer making Columbus Day a day off for ...

How Westhill High School's agriscience program gave two Stamford grads the courage to open a fish store

December 16, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

At 21, he's now one of the owners of Sound Aquatics, a fish store in nearby Thornwood, N.Y., in Westchester County. ... This summer, however, they reconnected and during one conversation, Bakshi, who is a ...

Stamford students created holiday greeting cards the mayor and superintendent will use this year

December 14, 2022 | Christian Abraham

Christian Abraham STAMFORD – Stamford Public Schools students in grade K-5 worked with their art teachers to create seasonal designs in any medium, which were then submitted for consideration in the city's ...

Stamford students recognized by DAR, Stamford EMS earn perfect reaccreditation score and other news

December 13, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Two other students, Melissa Silva and Dinyar Unvala, were given the Outstanding Conservation Award for their volunteer work with Stamford organization SoundWaters. Four other Stamford residents received ..

In Photos: Stamford middle schoolers combine coding and performing

December 11, 2022

Sixth grader Noah Gjelevic programs his Unruly Splats before performing a choreographed demonstration at Scofield Magnet Middle School in Stamford, Conn. ... Sixth graders Rebeca Jimenez, left, and Giada ...

Stamford Italian-Americans protest change to school calendar: 'Columbus Day is being canceled.'

December 8, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — The fight to preserve the legacy of 15th century explorer Christopher Columbus in Stamford has moved from the city square to the school board. ... But, since Stamford schools have ...

Stamford's schools are getting new sidewalks.

December 4, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD —Springdale Elementary School will be getting new sidewalks soon. ... Also at that time, Quinones said that the objective was to develop a “comprehensive sidewalk restoration ...

Stamford's All-School Musical debuts Dec. 2 with a cast and crew of 40 and a comedy of epic size

December 2, 2022 | Christian Abraham

Stamford All-School Musical is an afterschool musical theater program sponsored by the Stamford Public Schools. ... Stamford All-School Musical is an afterschool musical theater program sponsored by the Stamford ...

Stamford schools debate adding Eid al-Fitr to days off, put Columbus Day and Veterans Day back in class

December 2, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — Columbus Day and Veterans Day — traditionally celebrated by Stamford schools with a day off — may be class days if a proposed calendar is accepted. ... The statute that governs ...

November 2022

A first Thanksgiving for Stamford's newest immigrant students includes turkey and gratitude

November 23, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Olivia Hagopian serves food during the Thanksgiving lunch for newly immigrated students at Turn of River Middle School in Stamford, Conn. ... Jose Quinones is served a plate during the Thanksgiving lunch for ...

Stamford schools has spent $20M on ventilation work since 2020.

November 22, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — Stamford schools may be eligible for as much as $12 million from the state in reimbursements for numerous heating and ventilation projects. Ryan Fealey, director of finance for ...

Stamford schools has 200 Ukrainian students; many are refugees.

November 19, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

The bulk of refugees from the country that settled in Connecticut seem to have ended up in Stamford, resulting in an influx of Ukrainian students in Stamford Public Schools. ... The bulk of refugees from the ...

Stamford schools says administrators deserve 10.5% pay raise. Finance board says other districts pay less.

November 14, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

"This proposed contract acknowledges the hard work of our SAU members during the pandemic," said Jackie Heftman, president of the Board of Education. ... Jon Panzer, co-president of the SAU, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rushing on Stamford High project means passing up $1.5M grant.

November 12, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — The Stamford Board of Finance chair was flabbergasted to learn this week that a project to replace science labs at Stamford High School wouldn't use a state grants to help pay for ...

Stamford students, staff honor veterans: Wars are more than just 'a paragraph in a textbook'

November 10, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Toquam wasn't the only public school in Stamford to host a Veterans Day event this week. ... Principal Sibyl Brooks speaks during the Veterans Day Assembly at Toquam Magnet Elementary School in Stamford, Conn. ...

Stamford's older students feel lost in school, younger kids feel they belong, districtwide survey says

November 7, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — Stamford public middle and high school students reported a much lower sense of belonging and of safety and a worse school climate than their elementary school peers, according to a ...

How will Stamford fund its half of a $1.5B plan for school buildings?

November 6, 2022 | Brianna Gurciullo

Brianna Gurciullo STAMFORD — The Board of Finance is grappling with how the city will fund its share of a $1.5 billion school facilities plan. ... A previous estimate left out a project at Stamford High ...

Stamford Police, city, schools, promise better communication after problems during hoax threat response

November 2, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

"After the recent hoax call at Stamford High School, my team — along with the police department, superintendent, fire department and school district officials and other key public safety officials — met and ...

Stamford school board candidates divided on how to handle equity, budget and curriculum

November 2, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

He said Stamford Public Schools needs a more diverse staff to ensure that Hispanic families have more of a voice. ... Butler — who has three children who have attended Stamford Public Schools, including a ...

A Stamford sophomore can't imagine life without music.

November 1, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

That's why the Westhill High School sophomore jumped at the chance to take part in a music production program in Stamford where she is learning to write, produce, edit and market her own album of original songs. ...

October 2022

In Photos: Stamford students show off costumes at Stillmeadow School’s Halloween parade

October 31, 2022 | Tyler Sizemore

By Tyler Sizemore STAMFORD — Students dressed in costumes during the Halloween parade at Stillmeadow Elementary School on Monday. ... Parents watch the Halloween parade at Stillmeadow Elementary School in ...

Can Stamford schools' achievement gap be fixed? Here's what the school board candidates say.

October 30, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Both visuals, which illustrate the district's achievement gap, are not uncommon in school districts across the country; the same data has been trending in Stamford for years. ... He called for more investment ...

Former Stamford high school teacher bequests $120K to AITE for scholarships

October 28, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Now, her name will also be the moniker for a new scholarship at the Academy of Information Technology & Engineering, one of three public high schools in Stamford. ... A search of Gray's name on a public records ...

Stamford schools agrees to invest another $4 million in school safety

October 27, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — An additional $4 million is going toward school security in Stamford as part of a capital budget passed by the city's Board of Education this week. ... A separate long-term capital ...

Stamford schools looking at $742M price tag to replace and renovate school buildings

October 25, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — The plan to fix Stamford's school buildings will take 20 years and cost the city roughly $742 million. ... The plan calls for improvements to all other school buildings, with major ...

In Photos: SPEF MarcUS for Change 5K Walk & Run in Stamford

October 23, 2022

The race raises money for the Stamford Public Education Foundation (SPEF) while celebrating the memory of Marcus Dixon McInerney, a Stamford High School graduate who died in 2012. ... More than 300 people ...

Stamford police determined call about school threat was a hoax within 16 min., city officials say

October 21, 2022 | Pat Tomlinson

Pat Tomlinson, Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — Police responded to a false report of an active shooter at Stamford High School on Friday morning. ... "We know these incidents are stressful for parents and ...

Stamford schools' test scores drop from pre-COVID years, gulf widens between white, non-white students

October 16, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Scores for the Smarter Balanced Assessment, SAT and Next Generation Science Standards tests discussed during a virtual presentation on state test results of Stamford Public Schools students showed lower scores ...

Roughly 80 percent of Stamford core classes have no written curriculum, audit finds

October 15, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — Four out of every five required courses of Stamford Public Schools — English, math, science or social stories — have no written curriculum, according to the findings of a ...

Stamford hires Middletown High School principal as new secondary curriculum director

October 13, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — The principal of Middletown High School was approved Tuesday night as the next director of curriculum at the secondary level for Stamford Public Schools effective immediately. ...

Before COVID, Stamford schools worried it didn't feed all its hungry kids.

October 10, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — Lunchtime in Stamford Public Schools finally looks like it did pre-pandemic, but with one notable difference: meals are all free. ... Students eat lunch at Newfield Elementary ...

Stamford's AITE high school taps former music teacher for assistant principal role

October 8, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — A former choir and piano teacher was recently named assistant principal of Stamford Public School's smallest high school. ... Prince was a music teacher for eight years, and had 14 ...

Should Stamford schools strive for ‘equal outcomes’ for all students?

October 2, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

"If you have students at the top of the class, if you make them even stronger, that makes Stamford Public Schools more inequitable," he said, adding that such a result would be "bad" according to the policy. ...

Is Stamford schools' new block schedule a hit or a miss?

October 1, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Previously, students at Stamford High and Westhill High School took seven classes a day, each lasting 48 minutes. ... Sophomore Michel Perez Vasquez works during her English class at Westhill High School in ..

September 2022

Stamford school board not looking to buy out superintendent's contract, Board of Education president says

September 29, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — The Stamford Board of Education is not seeking to buy out the superintendent's remaining contract, the board president said Wednesday. ... Superintendent of Stamford Public Schools ...

Stamford adds school-based onsite healthcare to three more elementary schools.

September 23, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — Stamford Public Schools have added behavioral health services to three more elementary schools, bringing the percentage of primary schools to offer such in-house clinical support to ...

Stamford schools want more job applicants so they’ve upped their online game

September 16, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

By Ignacio Laguarda STAMFORD — The first thing visitors to the Stamford Public Schools website see is the phrase “We’re hiring!” ... Early returns have been promising, but Stamford is still experiencing ...

Stamford finance board sounds alarm on education budget ‘fiscal cliff’

September 9, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Ryan Fealey, finance director for Stamford Public Schools, responded that the district could not stockpile those funds, since they expire at the end of the next school year. ... The new framework will provide ...

Stamford schools see influx of Ukrainian students.

September 3, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

Mike Meyer, director of family and community engagement for Stamford Public Schools, said the district can’t confirm that the new students come directly from Ukraine or if they came from another region, ...

August 2022

Stamford’s Westhill High School closed due to water main break; classes expected to resume Thursday

August 31, 2022 | Peter Yankowski

The first day of classes in Stamford for the 2022-23 school year was this past Monday. Students returning at Westhill High School in Stamford, Conn. ... Above, students return to a full-time in-person schedule ...

Some Stamford teachers complain hot classrooms are ‘roasting;’ officials say AC will be standard in new schools

August 30, 2022 | Ignacio Laguarda

That’s the reason some are calling for the district to move to early dismissal for the rest of the week, as Bridgeport Public Schools did this week. “We’re roasting in here,” said Ruth-Terry Walden, a ...

BACK TO SCHOOL AUG 29, 2022

AS SEEN ON MAY 24, 2022

Stamford Schools Considering Banning Cell Phones

The Stamford school district is considering banning cell phones at all school in a bid to try to get students off their phones in class. Lynda Baquero reports.
WEATHER KIDS MAY 6, 2022

Stamford Kindergartners Learn About Weather

Kindergartners from Julia A. Stark Elementary School in Stamford, CT, enjoyed a Weather Kids Visit from Storm Team 4 Meteorologist, Matt Brickman. The students asked all types of questions and learned all about weather science.
AS SEEN ON JUN 3, 2021

CT Students Watch Their NASA Experiment Blast Into Space

The Stamford High School students created an experiment that is headed to the International Space Station, after they beat out 16,000 other students. Astronauts will send back data for them to analyze for their research into cancer cells. NBC New York’s Lynda Baquero reports.
BLACK HISTORY DEC 15, 2020

‘Blues and Beyond': Stamford School Teaches Black History Through Music

Stamford is the first school district in American to bring “The Blues and Beyond” to classrooms, teaching students about African American history through music. NBC New York’s Adam Kuperstein reports.