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'Maturity Matters' at Ridgefield High School

Thursday morning, the halls of Ridgefield High School were freshened up with new faces from Founders Hall.

Thursday morning, Ridgefield High School buzzed with seniors -- and not just the high school seniors. Founders Hall and the RHS Student Government collaborated to host the fourth year of “Maturity Matters.”

The event held most of the school day provided students and seniors with the chance to get to know each other and learn about their individual high school experiences. Student guides accompanied about 25 seniors to classes and to a luncheon catered by Mary Ellen O’Connor’s culinary class.

“I’ve been doing it the past two years,” RHS senior Maggie Ellis said. “We have more people this year.”

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Ellis and fellow RHS senior Marissa Pabone prepared the food.

Menu items included: chicken piccata, roasted salmon with lime butter sauce, roasted red potatoes and grilled asparagus. For dessert, attendees enjoyed white chocolate fruit tart and strawberry shortcake. 

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“I love the beginning, trialing all the food,” Pabone said. “You pretty much get a full-course meal.”

The Culinary Arts students started planning the food a month ago.

“We do dry-runs of the food, and then we decide based on that,” Ellis said.

Thomas Parks, Vice President of the junior class, partnered up with Founders Hall's Myrna Lee for the day. Parks took Lee to his Chemistry class prior to attending the luncheon where Lee mentioned that, at her high school, there were 5,000 students.

“I loved English and Spanish when I was in school,” Lee said. At the luncheon, Lee and the students struck up a conversation about politics, education, and food.

“I think talking to the students is my favorite thing about the day,” Lee stated.

Scott Wallace, Student Government Advisor and Chemistry teacher, had his doubts the first year the event was held, but has learned that it is a worthwhile effort.

“We were unsure the first year if the kids would enjoy it and if the seniors would enjoy it,” he said. The fourth year into it his worries are eased.

“There’s so much interest from the kids.”

Due to the overwhelming interest in the event, it is now limited to Student Government members. The opportunity to participate is also based upon seniority. It is set up this way to ensure that as many students as possible get a chance to experience the occasion before graduating.  

Although Wallace was able to stop in to the faculty lunchroom to meet the attendees, he had to teach during a good part of the event.

“I am disappointed that I don’t have a chance to have a senior in my class,” he said. “I’d like to see that happen.”

Louise Massie, another visitor from Founders Hall paired up with Kim Cohen, a senior and the President of the Student Government. Massie grew up in Westchester and moved to Ridgefield last July.

“I wanted to get acquainted with the teenagers in Ridgefield and I wanted to get a tour of the school,” she explained.

“So far it’s nice being able to talk to Louise,” said Cohen. “We’ve been talking about our different experiences.”

Dee Strilowich was given two student guides, Allie Schiffer and Kelly Aaronson, both juniors.

This being the third year that Schiffer has hosted a senior, she knows the ropes and enjoys the experience.

“Every year it’s been a fun experience,” Schiffer said. “It’s nice to hear about what people have to say about our school -- and hopefully this year they have good things to say."

Aaronson participated in the event her freshman year but was unable to attend last year.

“I wasn’t here on the day it went on last year, but today I am going to take Dee to my American Studies class and we are going to have a debate on FDR and the New Deal,” she said.

“I was around for the New Deal!” Strilowich laughed. “I’m really looking forward to that [debate]. I was a kid during the New Deal.

"History means more as you age than when you were a kid,” Strilowich said.

Currently, Strilowich is reading everything she can find on the subject of the Civil War “because it is the 150th anniversary.”

One of her student guides, Aaronson, would like to be a History teacher, so she found that she had a lot in common with her in terms of interests.

She went on to explain that she has lived in Ridgefield for 40 years and her children went through the Ridgefield school system.

“You always hear about the bad things with kids, but it is great to see the good things—and there are good things,” said Strilowich.

Jesse Bare, a junior, shared the day with Elfie Brandon. Thursday marked his third year of participation.

“We are going to History class and then Latin III,” he said. “We’ll be translating ancient proverbs today,” he explained to his partner.

“I don’t know any Latin, but I look forward to listening,” she said. “I just find the whole process [of current education] very interesting.”

There were noticeably more students than Founders Hall Attendees at the event. 

Strilowich’s husband, Joe, joined a group of students at the next table. Strilowich noticed the table had not one male student and joked, “He’s such a ladies man.” Aaronson and Schiffer laughed.

Joe Strilowich, who went to FE Bellows High School in Mamaroneck, N.Y., explained to Maher that she and her peers have a more diverse set of classes than when he was in High School.

“There are a lot more opportunities for kids to learn about career fields.”

He shared with Maher that his favorite subject in High School was Industrial Arts.

As the next group of seniors and students converged in the faculty lunchroom, one woman in particular seemed to be in an exciting conversation with her student guide, Hannah Dighton, a sophomore.

Wini Hanson, who went to Klein High School in Montana had many stories for Dighton and her peers. Hanson, who moved to Ridgefield two years ago to be closer to family, enjoys a good game of Pickleball.

"There are so many opportunities for you girls,” Hanson said to Dighton and her peer, Clara Howley. “Back when I was in High School, girls married their high school sweethearts and had many children before the age of 21.”

Dighton had taken Hanson to her Italian class prior to the luncheon.

“I wrote some phrases down,” Hanson said. “I knew a few phrases of German and Spanish before, but in my high school they didn’t have Spanish classes.

“I really like English,” said Dighton, ardently. “I am going to take A.P. English. I love languages!”

So after lunch, Dighton took Hanson to her English class. Students gathered in groups and presented chapters of The Bean Tree by Barbara Kingsolver. Hanson happened to read many of Kingsolver’s books, but had not read The Bean Tree prior to attending Dighton’s class. She revealed to the group that her favorite author is Jodi Picoult.

“We didn’t do group presentations when I was in school,” Hanson said. “We did do book reports. My granddaughter is in 4th grade and I have a hard time figuring out how she does the work. I go back in the book and try to understand it so that I can help her.”

Hanson isn’t the only one trying to help students out. Joseph Adams, who formerly worked at the High School, was a guest at the event. Even after his experience working at RHS, he continues to help young learners.

“If I could contribute to helping the students in finding what they want to do in life, I’d like that,” Adams said.

“You never stop learning,” he told them.

Adams’s student guide, Bobby Wendel, a senior, joined the Student Government his sophomore year. He, like several of his peers, was experiencing his third year of “Maturity Matters.”

“I think the most interesting thing is hearing about how high school has changed since [the seniors] went through it,” he said.

Wendel found that the biggest different between Adams’s experience in comparison to his own was the fact that the subjects studied are drastically different. Classes like shorthand typing are no longer in existence, while curriculum now includes graphic design and advanced placement courses.

On top of their curriculum, students have what their visitors did not have before—access to programs outside of school time that enrich their experience as students.

“I was telling Bobby I take classes at Founders Hall,” said Adams. “Courses are ten weeks long.”

Jeannie Jacullo, a sophomore, enjoyed her first year of “Maturity Matters” with her guest, Dr. John Fisher.

“We went on a tour of the school,” she said. “I showed him the Netbooks in the library and we went to my A.P. English class."

Later in the day, Jacullo brought Fisher to her Algebra II Honors class. This was something he could relate to because he teaches College Algebra at Norwalk Community College. She told him about the Smart Board that her teacher, Ms. Capello, used to show the students how to calculate radical equations.

“That’s nice,” Fisher said of the Smart Board.

“If you’re an outsider, the hallways are a little confusing,” Fisher admitted. He was, however, “impressed with the library, gym and weight room.”

Allison Smith, a senior, and President of her class, was able to invite a woman whom she had already had a close relationship with.

“It’s my second time doing this,” Smith said. “I’ve been with Bunny for two years now,” she said of Bunny Lancaster, her guest for the day. “We’ve formed a really good relationship. I like bouncing ideas off of each other. She is very involved in our town; I appreciate her efforts a lot."

Lancaster, who has been with the Historical Society for seven years and owns her own slipcover business, is happy to have met Smith.

“I just love her,” Lancaster said. “I think she is wonderful; she is smart, she is very intelligent."

With regards to their high school experiences, Lancaster feels that “there is a tremendous difference.”

“The kids are so much smarter," she said. "We had very basic courses; they have more intensive courses now.”

Lancaster intends to keep in touch with Smith.

Noreen O’Mara was able to tell her student guide, Leah Petrucelli, a senior, about her High School experience in County Corke, Ireland.

“Everything is still standardized over there,” said O’Mara.

Petrucelli who enjoys her involvement with sports and Student Government, learned that O’Mara was not provided with those opportunities through her High School.  

“We didn’t really have sports,” O’Mara said. “Outside of school we had sports. I played Camogie, the female version of hurling."

Petrucelli said she enjoyed interacting with O’Mard and particularly liked having someone to attend her classes with.

At the end of the event, students and seniors met in the school’s Black Box Theatre to wrap up the day and fill out a survey. The survey contained three questions that will help the Student Government understand how they can improve upon “Maturity Matters.”

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