Superintendent Provides Update on Anti-Semitic/Racist Incident Allegations during Football Game
From Superintendent Thomas ScariceDear Westport Families and Staff,
I would like to provide the community with an update related to the allegations of antisemitic and racist incidents Friday evening at the high school football game between Cheshire High School and Staples High School.
As the community is aware, there were allegations made on social media Friday evening including: antisemitic and racist comments made in the stands, the presence of a Confederate flag, and the waving of an Israeli flag. School administrators and law enforcement from both Cheshire and Westport immediately commenced investigations.
Because of the rise in reports of antisemitic and racist incidents, we also immediately sought input from the Anti-Defamation League office in Connecticut. ADL works with schools and law enforcement to help ensure incidents are addressed appropriately.
The Cheshire Public Schools administration and the Cheshire Police Department have been most collaborative and in constant communication with our administration and police department, sharing information and supporting each other’s investigation. We are most grateful for this cooperation.
Today, we were informed by Cheshire Superintendent, Jeff Solan and Chief of Police, Neil Dryfe, that their investigation has determined that the Israeli flag was not intended to intimidate Jewish people or motivated by antisemitism. Police reports indicate that the students who brought and waved the flag are Jewish and have shared that they brought the flag to the game because it was a school spirit “Red, White & Blue Nite” in the student section.
At this point in the ongoing investigation - which includes the review of photos, video, and interviews with numerous students, staff, and police officers – there is no corroborating evidence to substantiate the presence of a Confederate flag.
Additionally, we were informed by the Cheshire Superintendent and Police Chief that when Staples High School cheerleaders observed students in the stands waving an Israeli flag, and made a complaint to a Cheshire Police Officer; the officer informed the Cheshire High School Administration and an administrator directed the students holding the Israeli flag to put it away. Fortunately the use of police body cams have confirmed this finding.
That said, the Westport Public Schools is fully committed to finishing our investigation by speaking with every student or community member personally impacted by these events. We will listen to each first person eyewitness account of these events and will reserve actions before concluding our investigation. Receiving this information from our Cheshire colleagues is helpful, yet we must fulfill our obligations to listen to each and every account. The administration will continue these efforts and provide ongoing updates to the community.
It is critical that the community understands the level of transparency and thoroughness that we have taken.
The Westport Public Schools, and ADL, along with the Cheshire Public Schools, remain committed to fighting antisemitism and racism in any form and remain united in that effort. School administrators will be available to discuss this situation with any students who wish to do so. We are continuing to gather facts from eyewitnesses, so please allow us the time needed to fully assess what occurred and determine the appropriate response. Please contact us if you have relevant information.
Respectfully,
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent
Westport Public Schools
Soulful Soundcheck Complete ahead of Tonight’s Levitt Pavilion Concert
Pete Muller and the Kindred Souls passed sound check this afternoon as the Levitt Pavilion prepares for a relaxing Sunday evening along the riverfront. The instrumental/vocal quartet will be performing their folk and souls sounds, with Goodnight Moonshine - a pop-folk partnership - also gracing the Levitt stage. Tonight’s show will begin at 7:00 PM, with tickets available online and at the Levitt Pavilion box office.
WAAC Culture Corner: Gothic Gems for October
Prepared by WAAC Member, Westport Poet Laureate Diane LowmanWelcome back to the Westport Local Press’s Westport Arts Advisory Committee’s “Culture Corner.” Each month, the WAAC scours our 33.45 square miles and highlight one of the many artists – visual, written, performance, and other – who call Westport home. These artists create a spectrum of color that shines over town like the rainbows often seen over the Saugatuck, so we have made “color” our theme.
As we move into fall, we may think of the vibrant hues of the foliage, but at the end of this month, everything goes black – ok, and maybe orange, too – for Halloween. This month we profile a Westport gem that shines bright despite this month’s goth vibe. We gravitated to jewelry designer extraordinaire Jaime Camche for October because the stunning gem-encrusted skulls she created a few years ago specifically for Halloween.
She has lived in town for 27 years. Not long thereafter, Wende Cohen of Bungalow Design offered her a space to show her line, JL Rocks, in her Sconset Square home furnishings store; 25 years later, Camche has two brick and mortar locations as well as a thriving online shop at JL Rocks.com. Her life in bling began many years ago when she worked in Hong Kong as a production merchandiser and befriended the owner of a fine jewelry factory there. She honed her craft through hands-on hours absorbing information about gemstones and the skills needed to turn them into wearable works of art, like setting and mold-making. That same factory is still JL Rock’s main source of production.
Camche, who now works with other designers as well, says that JL Rocks aims to “design pieces that are easily worn in a casual way.” While they do feature some “occasion” jewelry, “the bulk of the pieces work as well with workout wear and evening attire.” Her team always starts with the stones and a rough sketch of their ideas. This then translates to a CAD (computer-aided design), which allows them to create a mold so they can cast the precious metals and stones. The entire process takes anywhere from eight to ten weeks.
Camche always feels especially touched when family members approach her to repurpose meaningful pieces. She aims to retain the sentiment of the heirloom while creating a more updated design. She is hard pressed to pick a favorite piece, (“they are all my children!) but especially likes the current collection of carabiners that can attach to and enhance existing necklaces or bracelets.
JL Rocks has a strong social conscience. The site features a Women Who Give Back page (https://jlrocks.com/blogs/women-who-give-back), which “celebrates influential philanthropists.” Here visitors can learn about the important work of luminaries such as Andi Sklar, Lynn Thomas, Ara Jin, and Emily Liebert while seeing them wearing pieces that shine as brightly as their commitment to good.
Camche champions and mentors talent destined to create new treasures in her workshop. For example, in house designer Devon Woodhill has an exciting new Fall collection rich in colored gemstones debuting soon. Camche is excited to launch all her designers’ new styles. See them and the whole collection at https://jlrocks.com/. Westport is lucky to have this not-so-hidden gemstone in our midst!
Talking Transportation Comes to The Westport Local Press
By Jim Cameron
Contributed photoI am thrilled to announce that my commentaries on transportation, “Talking Transportation”, are coming to The Westport Local Press. Look for my column each Monday.
For over 30 years I have worked as an advocate for commuters, especially those on Metro-North. I spent almost 20 years on The CT Metro-North Commuter Council and more recently as founder of The Commuter Action Group.
We have fought to have commuters’ voices heard by the railroad, the Connecticut Dept of Transportation and local communities. Our victories have included ordering of the new M8 cars, timetable adjustments, additional station parking and creation of a “Passenger Pledge” by Metro-North.
In addition to legislative testimony and lobbying, much of my advocacy has come in my writing weekly commentaries for 15 years in local newspapers, all of which you can find archived on my blog. As a former journalist I see my job as one of reporting what’s happening, offering analysis and even some solutions.
There are no easy solutions to our transportation woes: if there were, we’d have solved those problems long ago.
As a commentator I have always tried to be provocative… to get people thinking, questioning their assumptions… but always supported by facts. My dozens of confidential inside “sources” in the industry have always tipped me off to what’s really going on behind the façade of PR gloss promoted by the agencies.
I’m always open to discussion and debate and have relished my many in-person appearances in Westport over the years before your various civic groups.
My pledge to you is to always be honest, sometimes quite blunt. You may not always agree with me, but at least we can get each other thinking.
I always welcome your comments, story ideas and feedback. You can reach me at CommuterActionGroup@gmail.com
JIM CAMERON has been a commuter advocate for over 30 years. A resident of Darien he serves on its Representative Town Meeting and is Program Director of the town government TV station, DarienTV79. He can be reached at CommuterActionGroup@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter @CTRailCommuters