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now available online. ook at PRESSNEWS PRINCIPAL from page 17 PRIDE, which highlights respect, rights and responsibility. Greider said he was selected from a strong pool of candidates in the national search because of his leadership qualities and “deep sense of purpose.” She said of Silva, “He consistently exhibited an unwavering commitment to the success of all students, and an understanding of the importance of building strong relationships with students, parents, faculty and staff as well as the community.” Silva said he looks forward to building those relationships and collaborating with the teachers, faculty, students and administrators on initiatives they are currently exploring. Additionally, he said the appointment as principal is the pinnacle of his professional career and he is honored and grateful he was selected by the Board of Education and superintendent of schools. “For me, it really represents the peak experience in my professional career,” he said. Dr. Silva earned his Ph.D. and master’s degree from Yale University and his bachelor’s degree in American studies from Amherst College. He attended the University of Hartford to acquire his educational leadership certification. Silva will begin as the principal of FHS July 1, 2013, the day after current Principal Tim Breslin’s scheduled retirement. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should be 400 words or less in length. Guest columns will be published at the discretion of the editor and should be no more than 650 words in length. No unsigned or anonymous opinions will be published. We require that the person submitting the opinion also include his or her town of residence and phone number. We authenticate authorship prior to publication. We reserve the right to edit or withold any submissions deemed to be libelous, unsubstantiated allegations, personal attacks or defamation of character. Send opinions to: aalbair@thevalleypress.net or 540 Hopmeadow St., Simsbury, 06070. Deadline for submissions is Friday at noon for the following week’s edition. Call the office, 860-651-4700, with questions. Your hometown newspaper is now available online www.TheValleyPress.net 24 The Valley Press April 4, 2013 PRESSOPINION EDITORIAL Internet safety should be an ongoing lesson Recent reactions to a disturbing video circulating on Facebook shed light on the flaws with the way we handle the negative and often frightening aspects of life in the Internet age. Last week, local officials immediately sent out districtwide notifications warning all of a distressing video making its way around the major social networking site, when, in fact, the video is nothing new and had very little local connection at all. According to Farmington Police Department Lt. Marshall Porter, a Farmington resident saw the video on a friend’s Facebook account and alerted the police. e friend is a Hartford resident and therefore the Farmington PD passed the case off to that department. ey are launching no local investigation and received no other complaints. Beyond that, the video has been on the Internet since 2005 and has long been the subject of an FBI investigation. Representatives of Avon, Farmington and Simsbury schools all released announcements after the police were notified, warning parents and all other citizens of the graphic video’s presence on Facebook and instructing them to delete it immediately should it appear on one’s account. While it is certainly understandable to be outraged by such a video – which is pornographic in nature and involves a young child – the response of local officials was either an overreaction, or, more likely, evidence of a daily under-reaction to the seedy side of the Internet. e video made no local appearances – save its visibility to one local resident that the police are aware of – therefore, looking at it one way, it was no more alarming than the thousands of other graphic, disturbing videos that can be found on the Internet or the spam, and often scams, that could at any point slip into ones e-mail box or onto one’s social networking site of choice. However, in reality, those things are alarming and should be cause for concern every day. While it is good to warn parents of such a video’s presence, given the amount of information swirling online today, a warning should be constant. An alert should not only be issued when a report is made of a suspicious or graphic video. Everyone – parents, children and all other citizens alike – should be diligent each day. Children today have never lived in a world without the Internet. While it may be common knowledge to them as they grow up that they should delete unknown links, report them to the website and never view them, they may also become desensitized to it. e Internet is a wonderful thing – one that offers amazing advancements in communication and all other areas of life including travel, banking, shopping and so much more – but it can also be a dangerous one. We should not wait to send out an alert when such a disturbing video surfaces geographically close to home. If it’s on the Internet, it’s already here. e video in question has been online for eight years. e threat existed before and will continue to long after the media blitz followed by the recent report has subsided. e message needs to be a daily one about Internet safety education and diligence in this day and age. Capture the Moments! Order photos from our paper at our website www.TheValleyPress.net 540 Hopmeadow St. Simsbury, CT 06070 Phone 860-651-4700 Fax 860-606-9599 The Valley Press is a publication of Valley Press Publishing Inc. Delivered to homes in Avon, Burlington, Canton, Farmington, Granby and Simsbury Keith Turley Publisher Abigail Albair Editor aalbair@thevalleypress.net David Heuschkel Sports Editor dheuschkel@thevalleypress.net Melissa Friedman Advertising Director 860-978-1345 Melissa@thevalleypress.net Chris Melnyk Advertising representative chris@thevalleypress.net Barbara Ouellette Classified Sales classifieds@thevalleypress.net FOLLOW US ON THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. David Brinkley
TALK from page 20 contact with the young people out in town. ey speak in incorrect English. … When are we going to have good education coming out of our schools? I’m not getting a good bang for my buck.” Mala assured Hall that Avon’s teachers work “diligently” on a daily basis to teach students proper English and that the high SAT scores and college acceptances indicate a high level of achievement. “What [students] say and do doesn’t indicate how they perform,” he said. CLUES ACROSS 1. Fishing hook end 5. A jump forward 9. Girl entering society 12. Largest toad species 13. Measure = 198 liters 15. Jeff Bridges' brother 16. Past participle of be 17. SE Iraq seaport 18. Paddles 19. Biotechnology: ___onomics 20. Perfectly 22. Japanese sash 25. Flower stalk 26. Bosnian ethnic group 28. Longest division of geological time 29. Hoover's organization 32. Thigh of a hog 33. Fabric woven from flax 35. Upper limb 36. Basics 37. Satisfies to excess 39. The cry made by sheep 40. Go quickly 41. Allied headquarters in WWII 43. Paradoxical sleep 44. Point midway between N and NE Parent Adam Lazinsk praised the school system, telling Hall that all of his eighth-grade son’s classes next year will be at the honors level, something directly indicative of the education he has received from Avon’s school system. Other issues of cost and spending were brought up during the conversation, but Mala stressed the importance of educational spending. “Public education needs to be viewed as an investment. When it’s viewed as an expenditure, it’s problematic,” he said. To close out the conversation, Stahl asked Mala, “If you 45. Refers to a female 46. Tears down (archaic sp.) 48. Increases motor speed 49. Nocturnal winged mammal 50. Integrated courses of studies 54. Goat and camel hair fabric 57. Papuan monetary unit 58. Extreme or immoderate 62. Free from danger 64. Musician Clapton 65. French young women 66. Auricles 67. Foot (Latin) 68. Prefix for external 69. Allegheny plum CLUES DOWN 1. Founder of Babism 2. "A Death in the Family" author 3. One who feels regret 4. Maine's Queen City 5. Research workplace 6. A division of geological time 7. Paid media promos 8. Abdominal cavity linings 9. Apportion cards 10. Ranking above a viscount 11. Not idle SEE ANSWERS ON PAGE 35 could wave a magic wand, what would you do to change the way education is funded and presented?” Mala said that public education is the “single greatest investment a community can make.” He said that collective bargaining laws need to be visited as well as looking to reform the methodology used to fund public schools on a state level. e introduction of skillsbased compensation for teachers, incentivizing the collaborative efforts between communities and considering multi-year budgets at the local level were also among Mala’s educational wishes. 14. Former SW German state 15. Constrictor snake 21. Pica printing unit 23. Where wine ferments (abbr.) 24. Egyptian goddess 25. Boils vigorously 26. Oral polio vaccine developer 27. Master of ceremonies 29. Fr. entomologist Jean Henri 30. Scottish hillsides 31. Islamic leader 32. Bakker's downfall Jessica 34. TV show and state capital 38. A citizen of Belgrade 42. Supervises flying 45. Sebaceous gland secretion 47. Conditions of balance 48. Ancient Egyptian sun god 50. Part of a stairway 51. Time long past 52. Hawaiian wreaths 53. Resin-like shellac ingredient 55. Semitic fertility god 56. 60's hairstyle 59. Honey Boo Boo's network 60. Soak flax 61. Volcanic mountain in Japan 63. Point midway between E and SE BUDGET from page 20 town is also in a revaluation year, which was considered when devising next year’s budget. e latest reval revealed the median net taxable assessment is $193,000, down from $231,000. “So you can see quite clearly how homes have declined with this recent revaluation,” she said. For the first time, Glassman presented a breakdown of tax dollars and where they are specifically spent, by department – “so the taxpayers have a better idea of where their dollars go.” She explained that the median tax bill in Simsbury is approximately $7,484. Of that, $5,225 go the fund the Board of Education, $1,479 go to the Board of Selectmen, $499 for debt retirement, $238 for fire, and $43 to non-public schools. “One significant change is the number of full time employees,” she said. At 141, “at’s the lowest it’s been in our recent history.” is is partly due to technology, such as in the tax collection office. Because many residents pay their tax bills online, personnel were eliminated. Other cost savings efforts are through grants, the use of volunteer positions, a retiree health plan switch that saves $240,000 per year and an energy savings award totaling $400,000. Canton March 24 Kimberly Rogoz, 42, of 73 Cinnamon Spring, South Windsor, was arrested for operation while under the influence and risk of injury to a child. March 26 Jessica Gordon, 27, of 6 North Canton Road, Barkhamsted, was arrested for operation while under the influence, use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia with connection with less than half an ounce of marijuana and illegal possession of narcotics. Farmington March 16 Elizabeth Ramos, 22, of 365 Garden St., Apt. 2, Hartford, was arrested for third degree assault and second degree breach of peace. In the same incident, Liza Ramos, 27, of 25 Natick St., Apt. 3, Hartford, was arrested for third degree assault and second degree breach of peace. David Granville, 21, of 82 Harold St., Providence, R.I., was arrested for possession of a shoplifting device. Bradley Bempong, 19, of 17 Canfield Way, Avon, was arrested for operation while under the influence under the age of 21, operation while under the influence, possession of more than half an ounce of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia with more than half an ounce of marijuana. Kyle-Patrick Brady, 20, of 50 Daventry Hill Road, Avon, was arrested for operation under the influence under the age of 21 and operation while under the influence. March 17 Noelle Gibilisco, 43, of 11 Littlebrook Crossing was arrested for second degree breach of peace. In the same incident, Stacy Taylor, 42, of 11 Littlebrook Crossing was ar- PRESSNEWS “I think coming in on a 1.71 budget is admirable,” Board of Finance Chair Paul Henault said. Glassman said there is a significant need for tree work on some open space trails in town that was not included in the budget. “We wrestled with that because it is not an annual [expense],” she said. “ere are trails not open … that really would require us to go out and do a one-time clearing of the trails.” Finance board member Barbara Petitjean said there are some bad roads in town that were identified and can’t be repaired with preventative maintenance anymore, but they are not included in this budget. “I think that roads are something that taxpayers expect their money to be used on,” she said. e Board of Education’s proposed budget is for $64.9 million, an increase of $1.2 million or 1.8 percent. When added with the town budget and $6.2 million in debt service, the total budget proposed to the finance board for 2013-14 is $89.8 million. e finance board will hold a public hearing on the budget Tuesday, April 9 at Simsbury High School and a final public hearing April 24. It will approve the budget April 30, and the referendum is scheduled for May 14 at Henry James. PRESSPOLICE NEWS rested for third degree assault and second degree breach of peace. Kandace Alderman, 26, of 2443 Main St., Apt. 6, Hartford, was arrested for third degree assault, conspiracy to commit sixth degree larceny, conspiracy to commit second degree robbery and criminal impersonation. March 18 Christopher Cantley, 29, of 79 Highland Ave., Apt. 3, Waterbury, was arrested for risk of injury to a minor and fourth degree sexual assault. Jonathan Goodman, 53, of 13 Lakeshore Drive, Apt. A2, was arrested for evading responsibility and operation while under the influence. March 19 Kimberly Kraszewski, 42, of 67 Connecticut Ave., New Britain, was arrested for two counts of first degree criminal trespassing. In a separate incident, Kraszewski was arrested for first degree criminal trespassing and third degree larceny. Simsbury March 8 Christopher Mudano, 18, of 10 Robin Road was arrested for fourth degree larceny. March 28 David Kirychuk, 27, of 19 Whitlock Ave., Plantsville, was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of narcotics, weapons in a motor vehicle and first degree criminal trespassing. Hannah Boulden, 18, of 32 Woodland Place was arrested for weapons in a motor vehicle, second degree breach of peace and possession of weapons on school grounds. In the same incident, Tanner Nascimbeni, 18, of 6 Hamilton Lane, Weatogue, was arrested for weapons in a motor vehicle, second degree breach of peace and possession of weapons on school grounds. April 4, 2013 The Valley Press 25
Page 1 and 2: FIGHTING OVER GRADES? We can help.
Page 3 and 4: Tips from local experts to spruce u
Page 5 and 6: CRABGRASS BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE! O
Page 7 and 8: Simsbury artists to open their stud
Page 9 and 10: This project is supported, in part,
Page 11 and 12: By Sloan Brewster Senior Staff Writ
Page 13 and 14: Photo by Allan Civitate Solar tour
Page 15 and 16: By Jennifer Senofonte Staff Writer
Page 17 and 18: FHS has new principal By Jennifer S
Page 19 and 20: Town applies for HeartSafe designat
Page 21 and 22: District seeks to create welcoming
Page 23: PRESSBUSINESS Financial considerati
Page 27 and 28: PRESSSports Granby senior Dawson Te
Page 29 and 30: Senior Walker Lohrey shot the secon
Page 31 and 32: Canton senior righthander Patrick S
Page 33 and 34: Who Does It? $ 29-1 week $ 150-6 we
Page 35 and 36: Classifieds Call Mon-Fri. 9::00-4:0

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