Board of Ed Tweaks Square Footage Needs, Accepts Gift of Trees

Square footage requirements tweaked

Superintendent Stephen Falcone proposed minor adjustments to the Board of Education's square footage requirements Tuesday in order to match designs for the town's planned facilities shuffle.

The changes affect the superintendent’s office, two assistant superintendent’s offices, and a benefit coordinator’s office.

Under the shuffle plan, the district's offices would be moved to the old library facility at 35 Leroy Ave., clearing way for a new senior/community center in the Town Hall Annex.

"We developed those educational specifications with the idea that they will satisfy the needs of the program," Falcone said. "Right now, we are at a point where the building committee has made a recommendation."

"If all the [educational specifications] are met, we will move," Chairman Kim Westcott said. “One thing we are careful is that this is cost-neutral. We do not want to inherit a building that needs a new roof.”  

"We feel comfortable that the operating costs will not be a liability for us," Westcott added. "The plan is to be a positive. If the community deems the project a positive, then we are not going to stand in the way."

A $6.979 million bond issue for the shuffle project , but the Board of Finance and Representative Town Meeting have yet to weigh in.

Chinese exchange program approved

The board granted permission Tuesday for Ann Armiger — a  teacher who leads the Darien-China Exchange program — to take her students to China in the spring.

Eleven Darien students will have the chance to visit China and meet students from Shanghai #3 Girls School and Qingdao #58 High School.

“When the students register in February, we make it known that this trip is available,” Armiger told the board. “We interview students, and check references. It is rather rigorous. Many students do not have the option of leaving their lives for that amount of time.”

The students will pay about $2,700 apiece, and spend about 21 ways in China. Darien students will attend class with the Shanghai students for two weeks before spending time in Hangzhou and Beijing.

Over $15K accepted from DHSPA 

A gift of $15,950 was accepted from the The Darien High School Parents Association Tuesday for a variety of DHS programs.

The donation includes:

• $8,000 for club activities
• $2,000 in drinking water for teachers
• $2,000 to be used at the discretion of Principal Dan Haron
• $1,000 for the Names Program
• $1,000 for the China Exchange Program
• $1,000 for Black History Month programs
• $500 for an arts festival
• $250 for an activities fair
• $200 for the National Honors Society

Tree conservancy, girl scouts donate Eastern Redbugs

The Tree Conservancy of Darien and local Girl Scouts troops received permission to donate eastern redbud trees to the district, intended beautify Darien's schools in the wake of Hurricane Irene. These organizations pledged to donate upward of $5,600.

“We have identified where the trees would go, based on their size,” Superintendent Stephen Falcone said. “This is a very generous gesture on the part of the Girl Scouts in town.”

The organizations pledged to donate four trees to each of the seven schools in Darien. Eastern redbuds grow to be 25 feet tall, produce white or pink flowers in the spring, and produce reddish or purple leaves in the summer, according to the conservancy.

Field hockey gift approved:

A gift of $2,500 from the DeLucia Family Foundation in Greenwich to the DHS field hockey team was also approved Tuesday.

The team plans to combine this money with other funds to purchase 30 sets of foul weather gear.  

Lacrosse trip OK'd

The DHS boys’ lacrosse team received permission Tuesday to compete in the Checking for Cancer lacrosse festival in Haverford, Pennsylvania, on April 14, 2012. The team will send 35-40 players by bus to the Haverford Day School.