Norwich Tech Talk: Accolades mount for Norwich Technical High School

At the first faculty meeting of the school year, the superintendent of the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System, Dr. Nivea Torres, arrived with a trophy with the assistant superintendent carrying numerous blue and white balloons and presented the No. 1 school award to Dr. Nikitoula Menounos for being tops in the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System.

There is an impressive record of events that led up to this prestigious award.

Some of the highlights regarding Norwich Tech are:

• National Automotive Technology Champions;
• 3rd place at the Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair in Life Sciences with a biotech project by Courtney Michaud, Jaeden Spitale and Kyle Tempesta’s titled “Effect of Probiotic Yeast on a Drosophila Model of LCHAD Deficiency;
• Norwich Tech Culinary invited by the superintendent to cater events at the state capitol and at Grasso Tech;
• Norwich Tech students have a reading grade equivalent of 9.4 which the highest reading equivalent score in the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System.
• Norwich Tech tied for 3rd place at 65 in Student Growth Percentile on the STAR Reading Assessment.

Health Tech student Carley Fratoni is a finalist at the Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair, winning a special category award from the American Psychological Association for her project “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.”

In addition, the District Math Student Learning Objective Target by June 1 was for ninth-grade students to complete 60 percent of the Aleks Pie. At Norwich Tech, for the spring final assessment, the students completed above the target at 75.8 percent.

More amazing accomplishments include Norwich Tech’s Distributive Education Clubs of America state champion Jasmine Loy Smith placing first in Fashion Merchandising Promotion Plan and is the first DECA state officer from the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System.

Norwich Tech’s Music Department was also invited to perform at an event at the state capitol.

Finally: Norwich Tech’s English Language Arts is No. 2 in the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System and Mathematics is No. 1 in the system. Norwich Tech is the Connecticut History Day Competition State Champions for project “Captain Morgan” and was the only technical school to compete. At the SkillsUSA competition, electrical student Daria Stifle won the First Place Gold Medal. Thanks to our strong student family support, Norwich Tech’s Family Engagement had 39 events where 3,046 parents attended.

Patricia Luca is the Language Support teacher for Norwich Tech.