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Board honors outgoing commissioners; students and staff recognized for awards, drives and achievements
Summary
The board honored departing commissioners, presented citations, and heard from student representatives about academic, club and athletic achievements; Superintendent highlighted veterans events, a district food drive serving hundreds of families and a planned turkey distribution.
The Waterbury Board of Education’s Nov. 19 meeting began with tributes to outgoing commissioners and recognition of district achievements before moving into regular business.
Superintendent Dr. Schwartz thanked departing board members for their service and praised their role in decisions affecting some 18,000 students. A city official joined the superintendent to present citations to the outgoing commissioners and offered congratulations to newly elected members.
Student representatives Anna Lia Baez and Jaden Levasseur gave updates from Waterbury Career Academy. Baez described educator leadership placements, clinical experiences at district schools, and student participation in statewide educator organizations; Jaden highlighted athletics (boys soccer advancing to state tournament, football’s first win over Ansonia since 2008, and recent state tournament successes for volleyball) and noted student concerns about building heating and block scheduling differences.
Dr. Schwartz also highlighted district events and staff achievements: Rotella Elementary was named a 2025 exemplary school for arts education (one of six nationally), Roberto Clemente staff presented at a national dual-language conference, and district schools coordinated a rapid food drive in response to SNAP benefit delays—distributing more than 600 bags initially and over 800 in the following week, with 400 turkeys scheduled for distribution at Waterbury Career Academy the next day through a donor partnership.
The board thanked outgoing members, took photos, and transitioned to agenda items; no public speakers were recorded and the meeting adjourned after administrative business.
