Seven Seniors Named as National Merit Semifinalists
Staples High School is proud to announce that seven members of the Class of 2022 who have qualified as National Merit Scholarship Corporation semifinalists in the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
The Staples High School semifinalists are: Emma Alcyone, Natalie Bandura,
Zachary Bishop, Michael Brody, Chloe Nevas, Maxwell Tanksley and Julian Weng
Nationwide, approximately 16,000 semifinalists -- fewer than 1 percent of the over 1.5 million students who took the 2020 PSAT/NMSQT qualifying exam --will compete for 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million.
Staples High School Principal Stafford Thomas Jr. praised the achievements of these students, saying “It is an extraordinary honor for these students to be recognized for their academic abilities, and an honor for our school because each of these students demonstrate talents and passions beyond academics every day, making them wonderful representatives of the Westport Public Schools.”
Former Westport Lifeguard Arrested Again; Charged with Stalking at Compo just Years after Hundreds of Voyeurism Counts
The Westport Police Department announced today that Michael Collins, a former head lifeguard at Westport’s Burying Hill Beach, was arrested Thursday for stalking after an incident in August - when he was found to be taking pictures of women at Compo Beach. A disconcerting announcement, as Collins was arrested on hundreds of counts of voyeurism at Burying Hill just a few years ago.
In 2016, Collins was arrested on over 400 counts of voyeurism after he placed hidden recording cameras inside of clocks at the Burying Hill Beach lifeguard shack throughout the summer of 2015. The cameras captured female coworkers undressing and moving about the shack. He was also reported as taking photos of women on the beach using a long-range camera. He then took the photos, printed them, and posted them to his bedroom wall.
After the Westport Police Department’s 2015 investigation of his home and electronic devices, he was charged with 431 counts each of voyeurism, 431 counts of eavesdropping, and one third-degree count of possession of child pornography.
In 2017 at the Stamford Superior Court, he was able to escape a jail sentence - instead being given a 10-year suspended jail sentence and five years of probation by Judge Richard Comerford in state Superior Court in Stamford, according to the Stamford Advocate. He plead guilty to five counts of voyeurism, with the child pornography charge unable to be substantiated in court, according to a State’s attorney. He was also mandated to not contact any of his former Westport lifeguard coworkers for five years - while one coworker took out a 30-year restraining order against the former supervisor. (Stamford Advocate)
Collins was released yesterday on $10,000 bond and is scheduled for his arraignment next Thursday, September 30th, at Stamford Superior Court.
Westport Police Department, September 24th, 2021On August 25, 2021, at approximately 7:00 p.m., two females came to the Westport Police Department to report a suspicious incident that occurred at Compo Beach earlier in the day. They said that about 1:45 p.m. they observed a male in a silver Jeep watching and taking pictures of them as they swam and sunbathed. The complainants said that the male’s behavior was making them uncomfortable, so they left the area and walked towards a nearby restaurant. As they were walking, the person driving the Jeep allegedly drove past the females at least eight more times and was purportedly staring at the two as he did so. One of the complainants took a picture of the Jeep’s license plate and turned it over to the investigating officer. Using that information, Michael Collins was developed as a suspect. The officer reportedly obtained evidence leading him to believe that Mr. Collins was the person operating the vehicle that repeatedly drove past the females.
Based upon the investigation, a warrant for Mr. Collin’s arrest was completed and signed by a Superior Court Judge.
On the afternoon of September 23, 2021, Mr. Collins turned himself in at the Westport Police Department. Per the warrant, he was charged with two counts of Stalking in the Third Degree. Mr. Collins was released after posting a $10,000.00 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned at Stamford Superior Court on September 30, 2021.
Niche Names Staples #1 High School in the State; Westport #28 School District in the Country
Staples’ Grades from Niche for 2022Niche, an online database of schools and communities, rated Staples High School as the #1 public high school in Connecticut and #103 in the United States, while the Westport School District as a whole was noted as #28 in the Country. Staples received A or A+ grades for all areas except Diversity, where it was given a B-.
Westport Elementary schools were rated in the State as:
#4: Greens Farms Elementary School
#5: Coleytown Elementary School
#7: Long Lots Elementary School
#8: Kings Highway Elementary School
#10: Saugatuck Elementary School
Bedford Middle School was rated as #2 in the State and #133 in the United States. Coleytown Middle School was not yet listed.
Niche grades all of the schools and districts in their surveys and studies based on academics, staffing, social life and other factors - with data being pulled from SAT and ACT scores, student, parents, and staff surveys, and community demographics and safety profiles.
The #1 high school in the country was The Davidson Academy based in Reno, Nevada. Behind Staples in Connecticut was New Canaan High school.
Morning Weather Report: Cool and Clear Autumn Evening
Today
Showers likely, mainly before 11am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 69. Southwest wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 53. West wind around 5 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 76. North wind around 6 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Tomorrow Night
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Light and variable wind becoming west around 6 mph after midnight.