JJIS students celebrate their accomplishments

Martin Luther King, Jr., poster contest entrants by the first-place poster (from left): Ashley Czech (second place); Maile Blumberger (first place); Benjamin Williams, Xaryia Melendez (first place); Sarah Praisner. Not shown: Delaney Lima and Victoria Villaincourt.

“This is what being a hot school is all about,” said Deborah Sandberg, principal of Jack Jackter Intermediate School. She was talking about the just-completed monthly town meeting, a time when all of the school gathers to celebrate the talents and achievements of the students. And from the spotlighted stories and poems written by students, to the highlighted performances and accomplishments, it was easy to see why this meeting, held last Friday, Jan. 27, was one of the best town meetings ever, in Sandberg’s eyes.

Third-graders Ethan and Reese got the crowd on its feet early in the meeting, performing a dance routine that they choreographed with the help of classroom paraprofessional Dawn Repoli, who once owned a dance studio. “It was easy because they were so driven. I didn’t have to do much, they did it all on their own,” said Repoli of the routine in which Ethan and Reese showed the audience a few moves, and then performed their routine accompanied by the audience.

“They were amazing,” said Sandberg. The performance was driven completely by the two students, who wrote her a note asking if they could perform, she said. And that, said Sandberg, is one of the primary goals of holding the town meetings. “It’s about kids who have an idea,” she said, and helping them bring that idea to fruition.

The accomplishments of three fifth-graders were also highlighted at the meeting as winners in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Poster Contest hosted by the University of Connecticut. Xaryia Melendez and Maile Blumberger worked together to create the first-place poster, while second place was awarded to Ashley Czech. The posters were based on King’s principles of non-violence, which the students learned about after seeing December performances by students in the fifth-grade classes of Leslie Cicilline and Patricia Tedford.

The students’ learning from other students is “what to me is so exciting about it,” said Wendy West, the art teacher who assisted the poster-makers. “They were inspired by each other and by him [Dr. King], and they put everything into it,” she said, noting that they spent their own free time – no class time was spent making the posters – to complete the posters.

“It’s Dr. King’s legacy, which we’re thrilled to be a part of,” said West.