Senator Witkos Speaks on Leadership at Superintendents Award Program; Honors Student Leaders Across Farmington Valley

The Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) welcomed State Senator Kevin Witkos (R-Canton) as the guest speaker at the Farmington Valley Superintendents’ Association Student Recognition Awards Program. Senator Witkos spoke to the group of honorees and their families about the meaning of leadership on Friday November 22 at the Farmington Country Club.

“Leadership requires hard work,” said Senator Witkos. “It’s not good enough to just work hard and require others to follow. No, you lead by raising the bar as high as possible and doing rather than demanding. In simple terms, do exactly as you say and mean what you say.  Practice graciousness and humility often.  Judging a person does not define who they are; it defines who you are.”

The CAPPS Superintendent/Student Recognition Program is designed to recognize students who have served their schools and communities while maintaining good scholastic progress and exhibiting leadership qualities. The following award recipients were honored last week:

Avon

Avon Middle School – Rachel Rose Spivak

Avon High School – Mary Elizabeth Ponziani

Canton

Canton Middle School – Katelyn Kosior

Canton High School – Justin Fortier

Capitol Region Education Council (CREC)

Two Rivers Magnet Middle School – Talia Quagliaroli  

Medical Professions & Teacher Preparation Academy – Precious Uwaya 

East Granby

East Granby High School – Robert Nero

East Granby High School – Meredith Vanags

Farmington

Irving A. Robbins Middle School – Margaret Grace McGuire

Farmington High School – Bradley Druzinsky

Granby

Granby Memorial Middle School – Sydney Jerman

Granby Memorial High School – Emily Henselder

Plainville

Plainville High School – Alicia Gorski

Plainville High School – Sage Gentry

Regional School District #10

Lewis S. Mills High School – Michael Mudgett

Lewis S. Mills High School – Kaylee Viets

Simsbury

Henry James Memorial School – Megan Russell

Simsbury High School – Jakob Gattinger 

Southington

John F. Kennedy Middle School – Ariana Gazaferi 

Southington High School – Alexis Dziubek

Suffield

Suffield Middle School – Alexandra Kate Rookey

Suffield High School – Melissa Elizabeth McCarthy

West Hartford

Frederick U. Conard High School – Emma Briggs

William H. Hall High School – Emma Coll  

Windsor Locks

Windsor Locks High School – Meghan Flaherty

Windsor Locks High School – Joshua Lambert

Senator Witkos congratulated the students, and asked them to continue being leaders in their communities.

“Dig deep inside yourselves, get that little push, that stomach full of butterflies and use it to your advantage.  It’s hard and it’s difficult, but it’s worth it.  You can, you will and you have, otherwise you wouldn’t be here today,” said Senator Witkos. 

The full speech can be viewed on Senator Witkos’ website: ctsenaterepublicans.com/2013/11/senator-witkos-farmington-valley-superintendents-association-student-recognition-program-video/.