Calendar changes for 2016-2017 school year spark opinions
Becky Hoving, Staff Writer
March 4, 2015
According to a draft of the 2016-2017 Westport Public School calendar posted on the Board of Education website, February break will be shortened to three days of vacation, including a Staff Development day, rather than a full week off of school. This change, though, will only affect current sophomores...
BOE discusses K-12 start times
Alexa Di Luca, Staff Writer
November 21, 2014
On Nov. 17, the Board of Education (BOE) met to discuss the idea of changing elementary, middle and high school starting times. This topic hasn’t been up for debate since 2004; however, the BOE was inclined to revisit it because they are concerned for the well being of students. The main worry is ...
Students required to bring their own devices
Alexa Di Luca, Staff Writer
October 28, 2014
On Oct. 20, The Board of Education (BOE) met in the Staples Cafeteria to discuss the “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) Initiative, which requires all students to bring their own technological devices to class in the 2015-16 school year. English teacher Kim Herzog, Assistant Superintendent James D’Amico and...
School start time changes prompt discussion
Kacey Hertan, Business Manager
September 19, 2014
If you’ve never given in to the temptation of catching a few minutes of rest in the back of a dim classroom first period, you probably drink too much caffeine. According to the Center for Advancing Health, only 8 percent of high schoolers get enough sleep on the average school night. The new 15...
Staples Locks Down at the Start of the School Year
Max Bibicoff, Staff Writer
September 7, 2014
Nearly two years since the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., the Westport Board of Education puts into action their plan of revamping school security. Most Staples students have either heard rumors or seen the new features firsthand. All of the classroom doors now have an automatic locking system, and the entirety of the ground floor windows have a laye...
Westport warms to possibility of solar panels
Justine Seligson, Photo Coordinator
May 30, 2014
Imagine a form of energy that is completely clean, renewable and inexpensive in the long run. It has none of the filth of fossil fuels. Using it on a large-scale basis would allow many people to enjoy the typical benefits of electricity, while at the same time live without the guilt of burning dirty...
Board of Education discusses solar energy
Alexa Di Luca, Staff Writer
April 9, 2014
On a rainy Monday night, April 7, the Staples cafeteria quickly filled up with concerned AP environmental students for the Board of Education (BOE) meeting. The major topics that were covered included the Green Task Force Committee’s proposal for solar panel installations at school buildings and the ...
Blame, solutions swirl around $2 mill shortfall
Eliza Llewellyn, Web Managing Editor
January 31, 2014
At the Dec. 11 Board of Finance meeting, news of a shortfall of roughly $1.9 million shook the board. Since then, questions have revolved around who’s to blame and how to make up the deficit. “I was shocked when I heard the amount,” Board of Finance member Mike Rea said. “It was a perfect storm,...
Board of Education talks budget
Alexa Di Luca, Staff Writer
January 9, 2014
On Jan. 6 at 7:30 p.m. the Board of Education (BOE) meeting attracted parents and members of the Westport community due to the current deficit of approximately $2 million. The main topics of the night included an update and action plan for the 2013-14 budget and a proposal for the Superintendent’s...
Board of Education debates start times, but not for Staples
Will McDonald, Managing Editor
October 26, 2013
With a leaner docket than normal meetings, turnout for Monday’s Board of Education meeting was rather low. The main issue on the agenda was school start times and how bussing can be rearranged to even out the start time disparity that currently exists between most middle and elementary schools. Currently,...
Subbing Out: Spending on Substitute Teachers Goes Over Budget
Bailey Ethier, News Editor
September 26, 2013
During the 2012-13 school year Westport Public Schools went $222,039, 0.33 percent, over budget on salaries due to an “extensive use of substitute teachers and non-certified staff overtime,” according to the Westport Board of Education agenda for Aug. 26. Substitute teacher Michael Herring said ...
In Memory of Dylan Hockley
Katie Cion, Editor-in-Chief
June 7, 2013
Friday morning’s groundbreaking of Long Lots’ new playground, donated by New Jersey Firefighters’ Mutual Benevolent Association as a part of their “Sandy Ground: Where Angels Play” project, which plans to build 26 playgrounds in memory of the 26 victims that passed away at Sandy Hook, was no...
Schooled on Schoology
Hannah Foley, Editor-in-Chief
June 6, 2013
On Monday, June 3, Natalie Carrignan, Westport Public Schools Director of Technology, spoke before the Board of Education concerning the switch from Blackboard to Schoology, the learning management system that will be used by the district during the 2013-2014 school year. With a layout similar to Facebook...
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Web Sports Editor
Alex Massoud ’20, a web sports editor for Inklings, decided to take journalism because of his brother. After taking Intro to Journalism, Massoud found that he truly “enjoyed” writing and decided...