Dogs

When Dogs Flash Their Teeth. Smiling Faces Pretend to Be Your Friend?

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Three-year-old black Lab “Curlie” flashes her teeth at me when I’m about to give her a really good treat. It was so disarming the first few times she did it, but now I think of it as a smile. I’ve never seen another dog flash their teeth at me and visitors have asked me, ‘Why is your dog barring her teeth at me?” I showed these photos to several experts and asked their opinions. The photos are actually freeze-frames taken in about two seconds worth of video I shot after giving up trying to capture a single photo. Continue Reading →

Schools

Students, GHS Headmaster Recognized. YikYak, Drugs, Gift Cap Disparaged at BOE Meeting

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Thursday night’s Board of Education meeting opened with student recognition including Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) talent search participants who scored above the top 25-30% of the 55,000 students who qualified to take the SAT in 7th and 8th grade. Also recognized were winners of the Scholastic Art Awards, the largest and longest running arts program, drawing over 1,500 entries from Connecticut this year. Superintendent McKersie congratulated Dr. Chris Winters, GHS Headmaster for being named Connecticut PTA’s “Administrator of the Year.” “If you want wisdom, honesty, clarity — and a push and a nudge to excellence, it’s with Dr. Winters,” McKersie said of the GHS Headmaster who has been an administrator in Greenwich for 14 years. “The PTA is doing jigs and dances… Continue Reading →

Arts

PHOTOS: Animalia Reception Draws a Crowd to Flinn Gallery

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By Leslie Yager
The “Animalia” exhibit opened at the Flinn Gallery at Greenwich Library Thursday night with a well-attended public reception. The exhibit will be on view through April 30. The exhibit features eight artists’ interpretation of our complicated relationship with the animal kingdom and questions how we interact with animals from differing artistic viewpoints.  Featured artists include Jaclyn Conley, April DeMarco, Anne Lemanski, Kathryn Lynch, Jane O’Hara, Alexandra Sax, Jain Tarnower and Brad Woodfin. All artwork is for sale with a portion of the proceeds going to the Friends of Greenwich Library. Continue Reading →

Tiny New York Kitchen: Crumpets

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By Victoria Hart Glavin of Tiny New York Kitchen

Teatime, breakfast or anytime! Crumpets are easy to make. All you need is a heavy skillet and round cookie cutters. INGREDIENTS

4 Cups Bread Flour
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Sugar
2 Teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
2 1/2 Cups Lukewarm Milk (130 Degrees)
2/3 Cup Lukewarm Water (130 Degrees)
Vegetable Oil For Cooking

In a large-size bowl sift flour. Stir in kosher salt, sugar and yeast. Continue Reading →

Arts

Your Wish is My Command, With Exceptions of Course. CMS Stages Aladdin.

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Central Middle School’s Theater Arts Program celebrates its 35th year by presenting “Disney’s Aladdin Jr.”

Directed by Erin Schilling and produced by Bonnie Hann and Kira Seabolt, the 70-strong 8th grade cast and crew puts on a fast-paced, entertaining show.  Choreographed by Maria Kelley Stevens, of “Greenwich Has Got Talent,” the 90 minute production is filled with Broadway-style dance numbers and is a great show for the whole family. The show features cherished songs made famous when Walt Disney Pictures released the animated musical film “Aladdin,” the most successful film of 1992.  It’s a fun, timeless story – instead of falling in love with a Prince, young Princess Jasmine falls in love with…Aladdin, a mischievous, fun-loving rogue who finds a magic lamp. With music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, the whole audience ends up humming along with the actors on stage. “This is the one production we’ve done where everyone in the cast already knew the music before rehearsals even started,” said Schilling, a music teacher at both Central Middle School and Greenwich High School. The Production started rehearsals in January and despite mother nature’s many snow days, the school’s 35th annual production is ready to make its debut. Continue Reading →

Police & Fire

Greenwich Police Detective Timothy Biggs Retires After 27 Years of Sservice

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Chief of Police James Heavey has announced the retirement of Detective Timothy Biggs, who has completed 27 years of service with the Greenwich Police Department. Detective Biggs, a Greenwich native, was sworn in as a Greenwich Police Officer in February of 1986 and would graduate from the 194th session of the Connecticut Municipal Police Basic Police Academy. In 1997 he was promoted to Accident Car Investigator (Master Police Officer) and promoted again in 2002 to Detective. Detective Biggs was also a long serving member of the Departments Special Response Unit (SRU). During Tim’s early career he distinguished himself by expertly solving many dynamic situations that required a quick and measured response. Continue Reading →

Schools

GHS Bowling Team: Coed, Competitive and Displaying Character

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From losing almost every game in 2002, to becoming formidable opponents in 2014, the GHS Bowling team has come a long way since starting out with just five bowlers and a van. Coach Wayne Gioffre, who also coaches GHS football, has gone from cajoling students to give bowling a try, to having to cut 15 players in order to winnow down the roster to 27 this year. Wednesday night’s team dinner was as much a celebration of unlikely friendships as it was the final punctuation on a winning season. Indeed, the humility and camaraderie that were prized back in 2002 when the team lost 47 games and won just one — a forfeit — are still prized. Former GHS Athletic Director Jim DeCarlo attended Wednesday’s Bowling banquet and reflected on the team’s origin as well as its steady trajectory under the leadership of Gioffre. Continue Reading →

Schools

GHS Headmaster To Receive CT PTA Award

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Congratulations to Greenwich High School Headmaster Chris Winters who has been selected to receive the 2014 Connecticut PTA High School Administrator of the Year Award for demonstrating the importance of Parent Involvement. Winters was nominated for the award by the Greenwich High School PTA. Winters will be honored by the CT-PTA at their Annual Meeting on April 24 in Hamden. Continue Reading →

Police & Fire

Greenwich Police Warn: Attempted Burglary, Utility Worker Scam

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Notice from Greenwich Police:  On March 18, at 2:50pm the Greenwich Police Department received a call about an attempted distraction-type burglary using a Utility Company as a ruse to gain entry. In a residential section of central Greenwich, an elderly victim contacted the police and related a man appeared at her door relating he was with the “gas company.”  He convinced the victim and her husband, to accompany him into the basement for approximately 15 minute asking them questions about their heating system. While the victims were in the basement they heard noises upstairs but thought nothing of it at the time. After the man left the victims noticed that their bedroom dresser drawers were open and had been gone through but thankfully nothing was missing. Continue Reading →

Around Town

The Night Sky: Regulus – Erigone Occultation

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Just after 2am on the morning of March 20th, asteroid Erigone will block the light from Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo. Stargazers located in the path of asteroid Erigone’s shadow (see map) will see Regulus ‘disappear’ for several seconds. This type of event is called an occultation, from the Latin word ‘hide’. The asteroid is about 50 miles in diameter and over 100 million miles from Earth. Regulus is three times larger than our Sun and 80 light years distant. Continue Reading →