Superintendent's Report – April 2026

Continuously improve instruction, cultivate creativity, and enhance student engagement and performance.

Enhance the efficient and effective use of resources.

Foster a supportive climate for students and adults.  
 

Save the Dates:

Class of 2026 Commencement – Thursday, June 11, 2026, 4:00 p.m. Grade 8 Stepping Up Ceremonies – Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 8:45 a.m. (Bethany); 9:00 a.m. (Orange)

Instruction

SCASA Outstanding Student Honors: Each spring the South-Central Area Superintendents Association (SCASA) honors outstanding students from each of the region’s schools, and this year Amity juniors Jordan Chen and Eve Marin were recognized for their contributions at a luncheon. Also recognized were two students from each of our middle schools – Marvin Castillo and Nita Sudhir from AMSB and Milania DeCrosta and Jacob Dooley from AMSO – as well as students from each of the BOW elementary schools along with other high-achieving students from schools throughout the SCASA region.   

POG Portfolio Preparation: A class meeting with ARHS Juniors was held on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Some of the students presented their Portrait of the Graduate portfolios early to share pointers with the rest of the class and to cover such important topics as how public speaking pointers will help them prepare for their presentations. 
 

POG Presentation Day: April 23, 2026 was Portrait of the Graduate Portfolio presentation day for the ARHS Junior Class. Our 11th graders have been working throughout the year to develop portfolios demonstrating their growth in the five characteristics of the Portrait of the Graduate – Collaboration, Communication, Empathy, Planning, and Problem-Solving. On the presentation day, they presented their work to panels of faculty and staff members from all three Amity Region 5 schools, as well as special guests from our elementary districts. This was a huge undertaking, with more than 300 students presenting evidence of their growth to panels of educators and other students. It was a remarkable afternoon that highlighted the depth of student learning and the pride we have in their accomplishments. 

Middle School POG Reflection: Middle school students have been working on their end of year Portrait of the Graduate reflections. Students were asked to reflect on their progress on at least one of the POG characteristics. They were asked to use at least one piece of student work to discuss how they have grown. This task not only helps students reflect on their middle school experience, but it is also helps prepare them for the full presentation they will make as Juniors in high school. 
 

Global Studies Expo: The Global Studies Expo will be held at AMSB on May 1, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. and at AMSO on May 7, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. Grade 7 students have been working diligently on their Global Issues projects since the end of March, integrating their learning across English and Social Studies. Each student has developed an argumentative essay advocating for attention to a global issue, while also collaborating with peers to create informational displays and awareness campaigns. This event is a wonderful opportunity to see our students problem solve, collaborate effectively, communicate clearly, and engage with real-world topics. 


NGSS Testing: On April 7, 2026, our Juniors took the state-mandated NGSS science assessment in school while the other three grades participated in activities tailored to their grade’s needs.  
 

Amity Model UN Success: The Amity Model UN club attended a conference at Rocky Hill High School on March 28, 2026, and three of our members won awards at the event. Congratulations to Luca DiSorbo and Emma Imanov for being selected as Outstanding Delegate for their topics, and to Mattia Vessicchio for being selected as an Honorable Mention Delegate.
 

Seal of Biliteracy: ARHS received the results of the qualifying exam for the Seal of Biliteracy, and this year Amity Regional High School had an impressive 42 students earn this distinction, including two students who have each earned it in two different languages. These include 8 students in Chinese, 3 each in French and Latin, and 28 in Spanish.

World Language Honors Societies Induct 76 New Members: On April 22, 2026, the World Languages Department held their annual induction ceremony for the Latin, French, Spanish, and Chinese Honor Societies. Altogether the four honor societies inducted a total of 76 new members, including 7 in Latin, 10 in French, 34 in Spanish, and 25 in Chinese. Congratulations to all the new members of these four honor societies!

SCC Scholar Leaders Banquet: On March 30, 2026, seniors Sophie Cohen and Burke Lindsay were honored for their accomplishments and contributions to school life at the Southern Connecticut Conference (SCC) Scholar Leaders banquet, which also honored students from the other 22 SCC schools.

CAS High School Arts Awards Banquet: On March 30, 2026, the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) hosted its annual High School Arts Award banquet to honor talented student-artists from all Connecticut high schools. We were proud to recognize our outstanding nominees, performing artist Anna Edwards and studio artist Minh Nguyen.

Mock Science Fair: To help our first-year Science Research Program students prepare for the Norwalk Community College Science Fair on April 24, 2026, the high school hosted a mock science fair in the Library Media Center on April 22, 2026 with the first-year SRP students presenting their research with faculty members and advanced SRP students serving as their panelists.  

ARHS Home to Solve for Tomorrow Semi-Finalist: Congratulations to Karishma Balamurugan, who was selected as a semi-finalist in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition for her research project on “Designing a Hybrid Ultrasound and Ambient RF Wireless Charging System for a Pacemaker While Minimizing Misalignment Loss.” As a result of her selection, the school was awarded $10,000 worth of educational technology to help support student learning.

SRP Success at Rise Science Fair: Amity's Science Research Program students had a marvelous experience at the University of Bridgeport Rise Science Fair over April break. Congratulations to Ziyan Zhang for winning honorable mention and Kacee Tam for winning 3rd place overall.

Curriculum Writing: Curriculum writing has continued across the district this spring, with teachers from multiple departments collaborating to refine and develop curriculum for Algebra II, Geometry, Algebra III, French, Physical Education/Health, 9th Grade World History, 7th Grade Pre-Algebra, and 8th Grade Mathematics. This work reflects a sustained effort to strengthen instructional coherence and alignment. Curriculum development will continue through the summer months to support readiness for the upcoming school years.  

District MTSS: The District MTSS Committee convened again to review and strengthen instructional support across the district. The team reflected on key accomplishments from this year, including the implementation of building-based coordinators and the introduction of the Student Skills Personal Learning Experience (PLE) course at the high school, both of which have enhanced our system and structures of support for students.  

BOWA Articulation Meetings: BOWA vertical articulation meetings happened in ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies. The discussion has been rich and continues to help us better align curriculum, share resources and collectively work together to develop student skills and experiences. 
 

Resources  

Dr. Ben Lovett Returns: In alignment with ‘May is Mental Health Awareness Month’; The Pupil Services Department will be hosting their fifth webinar of the year and second one with Dr. Benjamin Lovett from the Teachers College at Columbia University. Dr. Lovett will be returning (virtually) to the BOWA on May 4, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. Dr. Lovett will be discussing “Accommodations: What are they designed to do? When are they appropriate? When are they unhelpful or even inappropriate? Registration required. Register here.

Financial Literacy Reality Fair: As part of on-going efforts to ensure our students have real-world learning experiences, ARHS Financial Literacy teachers have been working with several outside volunteers to organize a Reality Fair for students in our financial literacy classes. That fair took place on April 22, 2026, and, over the course of three class periods, more than 370 students enrolled in the course during the 2025-2026 school year and participated in realistic budgeting and financial planning scenarios led by our faculty and volunteers. 

Annual College Fair: On March 30, 2026, the ARHS Counseling Department and Career Center hosted its annual College Fair. We had representatives from more than 90 colleges, as well as several hundred students and family members attending the fair. Based on feedback from attendees and college reps, it was a successful and informative event.

NHS Spring Blood Drive: On April 1, 2026, our National Honor Society members partnered with the Red Cross to host our spring blood drive. Thank you to everyone who rolled up their sleeves to donate. You are all lifesavers.
 

LRP National Conference: Principals, PPS Coordinators, and the Directors of Pupil Services and School Counseling attended the annual LRP’s National Institute on Legal Issues of Educating Individuals with Disabilities. This three-day conference brings school attorneys and school administrators together to learn from each other on topics related to Special Education, Section 504, Title IX, and various other school law topics.

Climate

Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor: The 24th Annual Athletic Hall of Fame and 16th Annual Academic Hall of Honor induction banquet took place on March 31, 2026. Each hall inducted seven new members, all of them either graduates or current/former members of our faculty. It was great to hear from the new inductees about their memories of their time here, how Amity prepared them for success in life, and what they have accomplished since graduation. 
 

Spring Spirit Week: During the week before Spring Break, ARHS Student Government hosted Spring Spirit Week. Highlights of the week included: 

• Theme dress-up days all week, ending on Friday with an Amity Spirit theme day.
   
• On April 8, 2026, our Unified Sports program partnered with Special Olympics CT to host a Penguin Plunge event in our field house parking area. To celebrate, representative “penguins” from all these groups jumped into a plunge pool for both a live audience and a live stream into classrooms. Sixteen high school teams consisting of sports teams, clubs, and departments from the high school as well as the Unified Sports programs from both middle schools and our transition academy, raised more than $7,500 to benefit Amity Unified Sports and Special Olympics CT. A special thank you to Mrs. Carrafiello and Mrs. Tucker for coordinating this event! 
   
• Thursday afternoon Student Government hosted our first Springfest, which had several hundred students participating in a variety of friendly tournament competitions and socializing with their peers.
   
• Spirit Week wrapped up at the end of the school day on April 10, 2026, with a Pep Rally organized also by our Student Government members. 

My Fair Lady Garners 8 Sondheim Nominations: Congratulations to the cast and crew of Amity Creative Theater’s production of My Fair Lady on their eight Steven Sondheim Awards for high school theater, including their 17th consecutive Best Musical nomination. Nominations this year included:

• Achievement in Lighting Design – Quinn Cohen  
• Achievement in Sound Design – Marina Serapiglia  
• Best Supporting Actress – Vivian Smith  
• Achievement by a Student Orchestra
• Best Directors
• Best Actor – David Tobin  
• Best Ensemble • Best Musical 
   

Middle School Teams Hockey Day: Earlier this month 7th grade students across the district attended a team day attending the Bridgeport Islanders hockey game. Students and teachers enjoyed the opportunity to spend time together outside of the classroom thus building more positive relationships between the teachers and students. 
 

Reflective Intelligence Educator Engagement: Planning is underway to engage staff in professional learning with the final two of the four reflective practices from our workshop with Mr. Tim Klein. The last two activities are Insight Gathering, which focuses on experiences to inform future actions, and Story Crafting, which involves sharing stories to find meaning and engage in collaboration. These activities are scheduled for the faculty during our August professional learning days at the start of the next school year. They aim to enhance thinking and envisioning, providing a space for us to come together to discuss what matters most, thereby strengthening our community of purpose. This approach promotes meaningful reflection and connection, with the ultimate goal of creating safe, supportive environments where individuals feel heard, seen, and valued. 
 

Intrepid Field Trip: Students and staff in Spartan Academy and Spartan Prep went on a field trip to the Intrepid Museum as part of their on-going learning of American history. Throughout the school year, students and staff in Spartan Academy and Spartan Prep engaged in various authentic hands-on learning experiences to bring real world application to taught material.
 

Earth Day Campus Cleanup: After school on April 22, 2026, the Farm-to-Table Club celebrated Earth Day by organizing a campus cleanup event for students. Five faculty members and 21 students participated in the cleanup, and by the end of the afternoon they had collected more than 70 pounds of garbage from around and near the campus. Thank you for all your efforts to keep the campus looking good and to ensure a clean environment!
 

AMSO Bookfair: The AMSO PTSO sponsored the Scholastic Bookfair earlier this month. Students were able to choose from a wide variety of books in various genres and reading levels. Proceeds from the sale supplement reading libraries in the World Language classes and in our media center. 
 

Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Assembly: On April 29, 2026, the students at AMSB will attend an Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Assembly. The assembly will help students gain a greater understanding of the Asian Pacific cultures and broaden their perspectives on the history of the region.
 

School Climate: Each of the three schools continue to engage in holding their school-based Climate Committee meetings run by the Building Climate Specialist. These committees continue to work on the implementation of their school climate improvement plans. For those interested in reviewing these plans, they are available on each school’s website under the “Info” tab. Staff continue to work on relationship building and reflection using the development relationship framework. This work is happening in all three buildings in building-specific ways. The middle schools are engaged in following up in their team meetings, and the high school faculty have engaged in several activities in their PLC meetings.