SENATOR WITKOS SPEAKS ON LEADERSHIP AT SUPERINTENDENT AWARDS PROGRAM; HONORS STUDENT LEADERS ACROSS FARMINGTON VALLEY

Farmington, CT – The Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) welcomed State Senator Kevin Witkos (R-Canton) as the guest speaker at the Farmington Valley Superintendents’ Association Student Recognition Awards Program. Senator Witkos spoke to the group of honorees and their families about the meaning of leadership on Friday November 22 at the Farmington Country Club.

“Leadership requires hard work,” said Senator Witkos. “It’s not good enough to just work hard and require others to follow. No, you lead by raising the bar as high as possible and doing rather than demanding. In simple terms, do exactly as you say and mean what you say. Practice graciousness and humility often. Judging a person does not define who they are; it defines who you are.”

The CAPPS Superintendent/Student Recognition Program is designed to recognize students who have served their schools and communities while maintaining good scholastic progress and exhibiting leadership qualities. The following award recipients were honored last week:

Avon
Avon Middle School – Rachel Rose Spivak
Avon High School – Mary Elizabeth Ponziani

Canton
Canton Middle School – Katelyn Kosior
Canton High School – Justin Fortier

Capitol Region Education Council (CREC)
Two Rivers Magnet Middle School – Talia Quagliaroli
Medical Professions & Teacher Preparation Academy – Precious Uwaya

East Granby
East Granby High School – Robert Nero
East Granby High School – Meredith Vanags

Farmington
Irving A. Robbins Middle School – Margaret Grace McGuire
Farmington High School – Bradley Druzinsky

Granby
Granby Memorial Middle School – Sydney Jerman
Granby Memorial High School – Emily Henselder

Plainville
Plainville High School – Alicia Gorski
Plainville High School – Sage Gentry

Regional School District #10
Lewis S. Mills High School – Michael Mudgett
Lewis S. Mills High School – Kaylee Viets

Simsbury
Henry James Memorial School – Megan Russell
Simsbury High School – Jakob Gattinger

Southington
John F. Kennedy Middle School – Ariana Gazaferi
Southington High School – Alexis Dziubek

Suffield
Suffield Middle School – Alexandra Kate Rookey
Suffield High School – Melissa Elizabeth McCarthy

West Hartford
Frederick U. Conard High School – Emma Briggs
William H. Hall High School – Emma Coll

Windsor Locks
Windsor Locks High School – Meghan Flaherty
Windsor Locks High School – Joshua Lambert

Senator Witkos congratulated the students, and asked them to continue being leaders in their communities.

“Dig deep inside yourselves, get that little push, that stomach full of butterflies and use it to your advantage. It’s hard and it’s difficult, but it’s worth it. You can, you will and you have, otherwise you wouldn’t be here today,” said Senator Witkos.

The full speech can be viewed on Senator Witkos’ website: ctsenrepublic.wpengine.com/2013/11/senator-witkos-farmington-valley-superintendents-association-student-recognition-program-video/.