Westport, CT
Police & Fire
Man Caught Stealing From Staples High School Boys Locker Room, Police Say Man Caught Stealing From Staples High School Boys Locker Room, Police Say
Man Caught Stealing From Staples High School Boys Locker Room, Police Say A 46-year-old man was arrested after allegedly stealing from multiple items from the Staples High School’s boys locker room last month. Westport police were notified of the thefts around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, when they received multiple reports of thefts from the boys locker room, said Westport Police Lt. Anthony Prezioso. Responding officers met with several victims who reported that personal items including a backpack, electronics, and cash had been stolen, Prezioso said.  It was determined that all of the stolen items had been taken within a brief timeframe. An investigation, …

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by Kathy Reakes
DV Plus - Fairfield, CT
Schools
Staples Training Center Lifting Athletes Into 21st Century Staples Training Center Lifting Athletes Into 21st Century
Staples Training Center Lifting Athletes Into 21st Century Did you know coaches think the emotional benefits of strength training is as important as the physical benefits like making athletes more powerful and faster? "Strength training is great for stress management and helps not just athletes but all students feel better about themselves," said Staples High School Associate Head Coach Jon Zames. That is why a fundraising effort to upgrade the school's Fitness Center with new and more equipment is so important. An upgrade from four to 14 stations will make it more accessible to support the sports teams and physical education progra…

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by Donna Christopher
Westport, CT
Schools
Parents, Students Protest Firing Of Staples HS Outreach Counselor Parents, Students Protest Firing Of Staples HS Outreach Counselor
Parents, Students Protest Firing Of Staples HS Outreach Counselor The Westport community is rallying in support around Ed Milton, a popular student outreach coordinator at Staples High School who was unexpectedly fired earlier this year. Parents and students alike came together to express their displeasure over Milton’s firing at the Board of Education meeting on Monday, Oct. 7. Milton was a former employee of the town’s Department of Human Services for Staples students and was involved with the school’s Teen Awareness Group. He was hired in 2016, and no reasoning has been provided by school officials for his firing. Before becoming the student outreach …

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by Zak Failla
Fairfield, CT
Obituaries
Staples HS Grad Killed By Falling Tree In Fairfield Remembered As Talented Sales Exec, Chef Staples HS Grad Killed By Falling Tree In Fairfield Remembered As Talented Sales Exec, Chef
Staples HS Grad Killed By Falling Tree In Fairfield Remembered As Talented Sales Exec, Chef The 54-year-old man killed in Fairfield when a tree fell on his car during a storm is being remembered as a talented sales executive and chef. David Laurence Schmerzler, a lifelong resident of both Westport and Fairfield, died Sunday, June 30.  He was vice president of sales at Lindenmeyr Central, a paper company with offices in Southport. Schmerzler was driving in front of 3330 Sturges Highway when his vehicle was hit by a large limb from a Sassafras tree around 2:16 p.m., Sunday, June 30, said Fairfield Police Capt. Robert Kalamaras. When first responders arrived on the scene t…

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by Donna Christopher
Westport, CT
Schools
Staples HS Welcomes New Principal Staples HS Welcomes New Principal
Staples HS Welcomes New Principal The Westport Board of Education has named a veteran educator to take over at the helm of Staples High School. The Board announced on Thursday that Stafford W. Thomas, Jr. will succeed Principal James D’Amico, who announced earlier this year that he was resigning to take over at his hometown high school in New Fairfield. Thomas will take over on July 1, when D’Amico’s resignation officially takes effect. He was unanimously approved by the Board at a meeting on Thursday, June 20. He comes to Westport after serving as the principal at Hillcrest Middle School in Trumbull for eight years. Unde…

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by Zak Failla
Westport, CT
Schools
Staples HS Students With Unpaid Lunch Bills Will Get Caps, Gowns, Despite Posted Signs Staples HS Students With Unpaid Lunch Bills Will Get Caps, Gowns, Despite Posted Signs
Staples HS Students With Unpaid Lunch Bills Will Get Caps, Gowns, Despite Posted Signs Seniors at a Fairfield County high school will not have their caps and gowns withheld, despite signs that were recently posted at Staples High School last week. “Attention all Seniors!,” the signs stated. “Two things will happen if you have a negative lunch balance… 1. You will not receive your graduation cap & gown! 2. You will not be allowed to purchase ANY items except for a basic lunch. Please make your life easier by paying up NOW!” Despite the signs, school officials have reportedly clarified the policy and announced that no students will have their caps or gowns withheld for gra…

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by Zak Failla
Westport, CT
News
Staples HS Custodian Arrested For Stalking Student, Westport Police Said Staples HS Custodian Arrested For Stalking Student, Westport Police Said
Staples HS Custodian Arrested For Stalking Student, Westport Police Said A Stratford man who worked as a maintenance employee at Staples High School in Westport has been arrested for allegedly stalking a student. Paul Telep, 52, was arrested on Tuesday, May 7, and charged with stalking, after a school resource officer observed him allegedly recording a student in the school cafeteria, said Westport Police Lt. Jillian Cabana. During the incident, Telep appeared to be recording students, particularly a juvenile female, with his work cell phone, Cabana said. The school officer confronted Telep about the suspicious incident and notified school officials, …

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by Kathy Reakes
Westport, CT
Schools
Staples HS Principal Stepping Down To Take Over At Alma Mater, New Fairfield HS Staples HS Principal Stepping Down To Take Over At Alma Mater, New Fairfield HS
Staples HS Principal Stepping Down To Take Over At Alma Mater, New Fairfield HS Staples High School Principal James D’Amico has submitted his resignation and a search for his successor has already kicked off, school officials announced on Friday. In an email to parents, Westport Schools Superintendent Colleen Palmer told parents that D’Amico will be leaving Westport in June to take over at his hometown high school in New Fairfield. D’Amico, 42, the district’s former director of secondary education, took over at the helm of the high school in July 2016, filling the seat of the retired John Dodig. He first came to the district in 2001 as a social studies teacher and work…

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by Zak Failla
Westport, CT
Schools
Coleytown Middle School May Not Open Before 2020 Coleytown Middle School May Not Open Before 2020
Coleytown Middle School May Not Open Before 2020 A Fairfield County middle school that was forced to shutter its doors in September due to mold concerns may not reopen for more than a year. A report from engineering firms Kohler Ronan, LLC and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. that was recently returned found that Coleytown Middle School in Westport may not be able to safely reopen until January 2020 after the building was closed due to ongoing mold issues. The emergency closure left the 450 Coleytown elementary school students and staff split between Bedford Middle School and Staples High School. Officials said that the mold proble…

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by Zak Failla
Westport, CT
Schools
Westport Board Of Ed OKs K-6 Plan For Coleytown Students Displaced By Mold Westport Board Of Ed OKs K-6 Plan For Coleytown Students Displaced By Mold
Westport Board Of Ed OKs K-6 Plan For Coleytown Students Displaced By Mold The Westport Board of Education has come up with a plan for its students after hundreds were displaced due to an ongoing mold issue at the Coleytown Middle School. Earlier this year, the middle school was forced to shut down for the year due to an ongoing mold problem. The emergency closure left the 450 Coleytown elementary school students and staff split between Bedford Middle School and Staples High School. After three months of debate, the Board of Education voted five to two this week to make Westport’s elementary schools K-6 beginning next year, though they said they are open to findin…

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by Zak Failla
Westport, CT
Schools
Westport Dad Launches Petition Against 'Monster' Middle School Westport Dad Launches Petition Against 'Monster' Middle School
Westport Dad Launches Petition Against 'Monster' Middle School A Westport father is rallying the community as he attempts to prevent the school district from creating what he dubbed a “monster school.” Earlier this year, the Coleytown Middle School in Westport was forced to shut down for the year due to an ongoing mold problem. The emergency closure left the 450 Coleytown elementary school students and staff split between Bedford Middle School and Staples High School. One of the proposals included the consolidation of every middle school in the district into one school in Bedford, drawing the ire of some opposed to the “monster school.” The district’s …

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by Zak Failla
Westport, CT
Police & Fire
Staples HS Girls Soccer Coach Resigns After Exposing Himself To Teen, Police Say Staples HS Girls Soccer Coach Resigns After Exposing Himself To Teen, Police Say
Staples HS Girls Soccer Coach Resigns After Exposing Himself To Teen, Police Say A high school girls soccer coach has resigned after being arrested for exposing himself to a teenage girl. David Sharpe, 29, of Fairfield, who coached the team at Staples High School in Westport, was arrested Saturday on a court warrant charging him with public indecency and breach of peace, said Fairfield Police Lt. Robert Kalamaras. The incident was first reported to police on Oct. 23, by a resident who filed a complaint of a male exposing himself in his to a female pedestrian in the area of Old Post Road and South Benson Road, Kalamaras said. “The victim, a juvenile, gave respondin…

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by Kathy Reakes