The Hour • February 16, 2023

Giving Fund reaches new fundraising total of over $22K for Norwalk neighbors in need

NORWALK — Community members donated more than $22,000 to local families and individuals in need this holiday season through the annual Giving Fund, a partnership between the Norwalk Hour and Family & Children's Agency that allows readers to donate directly to residents in need. An initial fundraising total of just over $14,000 was reported earlier this month, but additional donations have since arrived by mail, according to Lindsay Perry, director of marketing and communications for the Family

The Hour • February 16, 2023

South Norwalk School designs feature flexibility with 'breakout' rooms, 'family' room, and more

NORWALK — Through classroom locations, seating and more, architects say they prioritized creating flexible spaces in their design for the new South Norwalk school. Tecton Architects, the architects for the school, displayed flexible seating and classroom areas in a presentation about the project on Monday evening. The layout contains “breakout” rooms for smaller project-based learning groups as well as options for large group gatherings, including the gym, multipurpose room, media room, and med

The Hour • February 15, 2023

Norwalk school district appoints new interim director of human resources

NORWALK — The Norwalk Public Schools announced the appointment of a new interim director of human resources, three months after the previous director, Lisette Colon, resigned in early November. Gabrielle Parker's official start date was Tuesday, which was also the date of the announcement. Parker has been serving as the district's organizational development and employee relations specialist. In her new interim position, Parker will lead the HR staff and support the human resource needs for nea

The Hour • February 14, 2023

Norwalk middle schoolers to use artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality in new labs

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK — Three Norwalk middle schools now include labs for students to use the latest technology — virtual reality, 3D printers, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and more — as a part of their educational journeys. West Rocks, Nathan Hale, and Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy each have a Verizon Innovative Learning Lab that will be incorporated into classes and courses on a rolling basis. A select group of students have already

The Hour • February 13, 2023

Norwalk schools integrate technology — and other STEAM topics — into curriculum

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK — In the city’s public schools, technology should be part of students’ every class. At least that’s Norwalk Public Schools’ vision as educators try to incorporate STEAM — or science, technology, engineering, art and math — topics into every aspect of the curriculum. Doing so is one of the district’s primary goals this academic year. “We’re constantly thinking about how we are continuously improving and modifying practice so

The Hour • February 10, 2023

South Norwalk School meeting to give public a voice in neighborhood's 1st school in decades

NORWALK — The community has the chance to learn more about South Norwalk’s new school on Monday. The district has invited the public to a "community conversation" that will explore the proposed “site design, floor plans, (and) layout elevations” with the construction project’s architects, according to Norwalk Public Schools. The workshop also will include a question and answer portion. This event will be held at the current South Norwalk School on Concord Street from 6 to 7 p.m. The new school

The Hour • February 9, 2023

Giving Fund raises $14,000 to help Norwalk area neighbors in need; donors are 'very, very generous'

NORWALK — Through the generosity of the Norwalk community, over $14,000 was raised for neighbors in need during the holiday season. The funds will go directly to residents featured in The Norwalk Hour’s annual partnership with the Family & Children’s Agency in a holiday donation drive called the Giving Fund. Throughout the holiday season, readers were invited each week to donate to a number of FCA clients whose hardships and needs were detailed in a in a story that was published online and in

The Hour • February 1, 2023

Norwalk schools' new Family Center is resource hub where 'all students are included'

NORWALK — “A one-stop shop,” “a one shot deal,” “a hub:” this is how officials describe Norwalk’s new Family Center. This is the place to find the answers for registering a new student into the district, visiting departments that are lined up step-by-step in one single building. The school district opened its Family Center in the Human Services Council building at 1 Park St. last year with the goal of improving and streamlining the process for new students. Previously, families bounced from Cit

The Hour • January 31, 2023

After Tyre Nichols, Norwalk promises policing with 'integrity' and schools offer support to students

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK — Local leaders have joined the nationwide condemnation of the police killing Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tenn., with the city police department promising to "ensure bias-free policing" and the public schools providing resources to families to help students process and understand the incident. Five Memphis police officers, including Desmond Mills Jr, who graduated from Bloomfield High School in Connecticut, were fired and charg

The Hour • January 31, 2023

From Norwalk High School to the SONO school, here's what to know about school construction projects

NORWALK — The city plans to build three new schools — one high school and two elementary schools — over the next few years. Work has already begun on the new $45 million Cranbury Elementary School, while officials are designing South Norwalk's first elementary school in decades and coordinating the logistics for the construction of the new Norwalk High School. Project managers for the three schools shared important updates on the progress to the Board of Education Facilities Committee at its J

The Hour • January 25, 2023

Norwalk Police Emerald Society announces date of St. Patrick's Day Parade 2023

NORWALK — The city's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade will step off on Saturday, March 11, according to a statement from the Norwalk Police Emerald Society. The event will begin at 11 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, with marchers traveling along Washington Street and North Main Street to the ending point at Pine Street, according to the statement. First responders and community leaders will also take part in the parade, along with the Fairfield County Police Pipes and Drums as well as the Green

The Hour • January 25, 2023

Ski trips close gap in access to winter sports for Black and Latino kids at Ponus school in Norwalk

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK — When Vincent Stimpson's daughter told him she was the only Black girl in her snowboarding class, he took to heart her request to find more Black kids to join her. The conversation sparked the creation of the nonprofit Black Boarders CT, which supports opportunities for Black and brown youth to access the slopes. And most recently, it led the math teacher at Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy to create and raise money for a ski clu

The Hour • January 23, 2023

Norwalk author's book teaches girls they 'can be engineers': 'Anyone should be able to do anything'

NORWALK — Jamila Lindo self-published her debut book, "Girls Can Be Engineers," because she had a mission — to encourage girls and young women to pursue careers in math and science. The Norwalk resident was inspired by observations from her own life to compile a team and put pen to paper. When she graduated from Manhattan College to become a civil engineer, only 10 of more than 100 students were women. She also tutored high and middle school girls who, she said, were surprised that she chose to

The Hour • January 22, 2023

'Dangerous' Silvermine school parking lot in Norwalk needs redesign that's expected in summer

NORWALK — Each weekday morning and afternoon, parents and buses vie for space in the congested parking lot at Silvermine Dual Language Magnet School. School officials say the structure of the parking lot, with parents and buses dropping off at the same time and in the same area, poses a safety issue for the children and creates a dangerous situation. “There’s been many near-misses,”said Bill Hodel, director of facilities and maintenance for the school district. That's why two Norwalk boards h

The Hour • January 21, 2023

Longtime Norwalk West Rocks teacher Kelli Hibbard dies at 53: A 'generous' 'Dr. Dolittle'

NORWALK — Each Christmas, Kelli Hibbard bought all of the remaining presents in her school's holiday event for kids who could not afford them at West Rocks Middle School "She was generous," recalled Adam Reynolds, principal at West Rocks. "She did things without any need or want for recognition." Hibbard, who taught at West Rocks for almost 30 years, died at 53 on Jan. 12, according to her obituary. Currently a social studies teacher, she also held different roles throughout her tenure. Starti

The Hour • January 17, 2023

Brien McMahon High School's 20-year-old track up for replacement in Norwalk with $823K price tag

NORWALK — The 20-year-old track at Brien McMahon High School is up for replacement, pending additional funding approval. The project would cost under $823,000 and includes completely removing the existing track, which was resurfaced seven years ago, said Robert Stowers, the director of Recreation and Parks. “The asphalt base is beginning to fail, causing imperfections in the rubber track surface and the need for a complete replacement,” he said. The city already approved $560,000 for the proj

The Hour • January 14, 2023

Family seeking political asylum is in need of financial help from the Giving Fund to get basics

NORWALK — This is the last installment of the Giving Fund, an annual partnership between the Norwalk Hour and the Family and Children's Agency, a nonprofit based in Norwalk. Each week, the Giving Fund included 10 stories of a local person or family in need, and the community has stepped up to help. Donations to the Giving Fund this year total more than $11,000, and every dollar goes to clients in need. The cases this week include a college student who needs financial help to complete her degre

The Hour • January 9, 2023

Are test retakes and de-emphasizing homework more equitable for kids? Norwalk mulls new grading policy

NORWALK — Proposed changes to the public schools' grading policy would allow students to retake tests and set 50 percent as a minimum grade, while emphasizing project-based learning — all in an effort to increase equity. The district's Grading For Equity Committee formulated six recommendations to increase equity within Norwalk Public Schools’ grading policy after an eight month book study of “Grading for Equity” by Joe Feldman. The recommendations acknowledge that everyone has implicit bias an

The Hour • January 5, 2023

Volunteer turned staffer at Norwalk's PAWS shelter does all — from laundry to fostering pregnant cats

In her own words, “it's kind of boring, the other parts of my job. There's a lot of laundry that has to get done. We have two large industrial washing machines that are going all day long. And we had two dishwashers that typically run at least once a day.” Yet, her work includes much more than laundry and ordering garbage bags. And Whitney, the cat care coordinator at the Pet Animal Welfare Society in Norwalk, doesn’t complete these mundane tasks to benefit herself. Her entire focus is toward t

The Hour • January 5, 2023

Norwalk schools, Maritime Aquarium earn $1.3M to grow 'unprecedented' marine science program

NORWALK — The local public schools and The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk will receive about $1.3 million in federal funding to expand a partnership that allows students to study marine science. The district and aquarium operate the Marine Science Academy at Brien McMahon High School, and the new funding will allow the creation of a K-12 Marine Science Pathway at Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School and West Rocks Middle School.