Submitted by Kerri Gruss and the Central Middle School PTA Board
My name is Kerri Gruss and I’m co-PTA President at Central Middle School. As the second wave of Open Enrollment comes to a close (this Friday 4/3), The PTA Board and I wanted to take a minute to share some of the special things about CMS.
As we’re a smaller middle school, the teachers and administration take extra care to ensure a real sense of belonging at CMS. They know students walk into 6th grade referring to themselves as a “Cos Cob kid” or a “North Street girl” but the 6th grade team prides themselves on making sure the students quickly turn from those siloed groups to “the CMS 6 th Grade.”
They do this in so many ways but the most impactful is their fall trip to Outdoor Classroom. Our passionate 6th grade science teachers organize an incredible 3-night trip for the 6th grade; an experience focused on team building and getting to know each other through outdoor activities. Students depart feeling like they’re from separate elementary schools, and return as a group, bonded in their experience.
As CMS PTA Board member Amanda Runne states, “Nature’s Classroom was an incredible experience for my son. He had never been away from home for that long, and while slightly nervous to go, he returned beaming. He made new friends, learned he loved to carve wood, enjoyed hiking and overall had an incredible time. The trip allowed him to truly connect with his peers in a new environment that promoted trust and fun without the distractions of technology and schoolwork. I know the trip will remain a core memory of his 6th grade year at Central.”
Helping the students work through their challenges whether it be middle school adjustments, to properly studying for a test, writing an essay, or navigating drama with friends, our teachers and staff truly are equipped to handle it all.
PTA Board member, Maggie Butarac states, “My 6th grader has had a smooth transition to CMS in large part
due to the caring nature of every one of the teachers on his sixth-grade team. At every opportunity, they have sought to ease his anxiety, provide extra help, and empower him to be a more independent middle school student.”
PTA Fundraising Chair, Andrea Richter, also furthers this point saying, “My husband and I have been incredibly impressed with CMS. Not only are the teachers engaged, passionate and extremely dedicated to their students but also, they are highly experienced and proficient in their fields to prepare students for high school and beyond. Our children are thriving both socially and academically and this is due to the stellar CMS teachers and administration. We are grateful to be part of such a wonderful school and community.”
My own child has participated in the CMS middle school sports program for the last 3 years. She has had an amazing experience, and it has only helped grow her school community. From gaining relationships with older students, being mentored and building strong relationships with teachers turned coaches, to now working on leadership skills, it’s been such a value-add part of her middle school years. My daughter has forged closer relationships with those teachers through her love of basketball and softball and I’m grateful for their care and commitment to the kids.
Sports are led by our fantastic Athletic Director who never misses an opportunity to boost school spirit through sports. She organizes pep rallies each season, coordinates fan buses for championship games, and student vs teacher dodgeball and 3×3 basketball tournaments. And if a team brings home the coveted banner, they take pride
in marching it through the school with the hoots and cheers of all the kids. It is that special attention to building school community and pride through sports that is another reason CMS is so unique.
And at CMS, we’re not just passionate about sports. Music and the Arts are a huge part of CMS culture, as over 300 students (over 60% of the school) participate in either band, orchestra or chorus at our school. And so much of why music and the arts are so integral in our school is the fabulous caring teachers that work with our students each
day.
Mike Kiraly, our PTA Treasurer, says “One of the things our family has really come to appreciate about CMS is the extracurricular music and theater opportunities. Our daughter truly loved singing in the Grand Central Chorus program, as well as performing in the school musical each year.”
For the kids who love music and the arts, CMS welcomes those students and provides the support to thrive.
Our electives teachers love tapping into the passions they create in their classrooms.
CMS PTA Co-President Alison Walsh says “the CMS Family Consumer Science teacher offers pop up cooking classes after school periodically. Her regular class is beloved so students cannot wait to attend her post-school extra cooking sessions. So far this year, students have made mini cheesecakes, gingerbread cookies, buttered biscuits with homemade cream cheese filling, and just last week they made Irish soda bread in honor of St. Patrick’s Day!”
This is all in an effort to continue to support the students and allow their interests to blossom.
Central Middle School truly is a special place. The teachers and staff are exceptional, always taking extra care, and understanding there is so much more to the middle school experience than simply the grade you got on the last test.
As PTA Board member Mia Gyesky explains, “When my family experienced a personal tragedy in December, I could never have imagined the outpouring of support from our community. Central Middle School (where two of my children attend) held my family with so much love it was life changing in how we navigated our loss. From the principal calling in the wee hours of the morning right after our ordeal, to tell me they were here for us. To my children’s wonderful guidance counselors, embracing my children with empathy, teaching them coping tools, encouraging resilience and mapping out a plan for when they returned to school so that they could feel safe and seen at the same time. This kind of social emotional awareness is typically something you’d look for in a private institution and in my experience still come up short. But Central Middle School truly values each child’s
individual needs and builds a team of teachers to support the child not just academically but emotionally as well.”
We are truly blessed with a fantastic group of teachers and administrators. PTA Board Member Frances Nobay says, “As a mom of three children who navigated CMS through COVID, an earthquake, and a condemned building, our school experience has still been so positive thanks to the many dedicated teachers who always rallied through. During a difficult personal situation, the school team has been there with compassionate support.”
PTA Board Member Penelope Kassaris couldn’t agree more with Ms. Nobay when she shared, “I’ve had 5 children attend Central Middle School over the past 11 years and each year the school has just gotten better and better. The principal, the teachers and all the support staff work hard to ensure our kids have the best possible education and experience in middle school. We are very lucky to have such an amazing school in our community.”
If you would like to join the Open Enrollment, applications need to be in by midnight on Friday, April 3.
You can find all of the information located here. CMS Open Enrollment – Greenwich Public Schools