Here's what made news this year in the Norwalk Public Schools.
After months of searching, the Norwalk Board of Education approved the contract of Dr. Manuel Rivera to its Superintendent of Schools in July. During convocation in August, Dr. Rivera said it was time for a new "Norwalk way"
Dr. Rivera said, "If we are going to raise the bar for our students and ourselves, it cannot be business as usual. That's a thing of the past. We are going have to find a way to work together to create a new "Norwalk Way".
Throughout the school year, various organization have been speaking out against bullying. At Brien McMahon High School, the Center for Youth Leadership came together to put an end to bullying.
"It's a lot of people's tendencies to look away. I talked about it during the press conference - Pity vs. Passion. It's so easy to pity somebody to but actually step into their chaos and to be able to connect with them on a certain level and to understand what they are actually going through and help them get out of that, that is on a whole other scale," said Erin Iovinelli, a member of the Center for Youth Leadership and Mental Health First Aid Team during a press conference at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk.
Brien McMahon High School also dedicated the Center for Global Studies to its founder, Dr. William Jassey.
Christian Krogh, a student at the Center for Global Studies said, "He has influenced generations to come. With the Center for Global Studies, he has given us the capability to expand beyond Norwalk."
Marching their way to victory, the Norwalk High School Marching Bear claimed the 2013 Music Arts Conference National Class Championship in November with a score of 98.2.
Senior Kevin Garrish, the band's Drum Major said,"It was absolutely unreal. The experience was just out of this world. Just going out on top my senior year, it was just awesome. I loved it."
Lynna Bray, a junior Color Guard in the band said, "When we won, it was just fantastic because it really showed the work that 150 students, the countless staff and all of the chaperones put in really worked out."
That's what made the grade in Norwalk Public Schools in 2013. Thanks for watching and we'll see you in the New Year.
