Top 10 Most Influential Guys at DHS
NEIRAD enilno edition
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A team of Neirad Enilno reporters set out to find 10 people who are helping to make DHS an awesome place to receive an education. They sought to find 10 people who represent the many facets of life in this building. This was not an easy task with so many top students and faculty members who do such a great job. After much deliberation the list was winnowed down to 10 people.
This month we decided to focus on the guys. Next month we will look at 10 of the women who are also making a difference.
Senior Andrew Gagne, The Challenger
This student ranks one of the highest in the senior class in academic activities and makes other classmates strive to do their best. He was awarded the governor’s award and is a semifinalist in the National Merit Scholarship Competition. In addition to that, he is a club captain in which he influences everyone to do their best. This high honor student is Andrew Gagne.
“Intelligent, talented, and driven,” says Brandon Wong, a close friend of Andrew. Andrew has potential that everyone sees. His intelligence and talent leads him through his life, but his determination makes all the difference. This drive influences other classmates to do better and receive higher grades. Oh, and Andrew says not to forget to enjoy life in high school. “Do what you want and have fun,” Andrew said.
In clubs including the math team and debate team, he is a key player and is a captain in a few clubs. Andrew explains the concepts to the members in detail making sure that everyone understands and teaches them something new every day. Andrew may also be seen on the show “The Challenge” in which four students from Darien answer questions in a quiz bowl fashion.
He is the leader that is the driving force for some people’s motivation to do well. Brains push the equation. “One of the brightest students I have met,” biology teacher Susan Ruegger said. His intelligence combined with his powerful drive creates one influential person that encourages people to do well.
Senior Britt Gordon, Neirad News Filter
Neirad: The source of the latest news, styles, and people delivered to the DHS student body. You can imagine all of the Neirad contributors clamoring to get their pieces featured in print or online. But with all the options for stories, there must be a filter. There must be someone who decides what will be published, and what will land on the cutting-room floor. Senior Britt Gordon, is the man behind this mystery. As Co-Editor-in-Chief of Neirad, Britt directly affects this high school with his decisions of what stories make it, and which don’t.
Britt Gordon has the filter of the news stories in his hands. How does the student body feel about this? Junior Kevin Cassidy said, “I really trust Britt to choose the best stories for us. He’s smart and responsible; I always enjoy reading the Neirad!”
As we assumed, working for the school paper takes time and commitment; but leading the entire group takes a special type of person. “I truly enjoy the position of editor-in-chief of Neirad for a number of reasons, I decided that I wanted to become an editor and have a leadership position on the newspaper staff because I love making the decisions and running the show,” Britt says about becoming editor-in-chief for Neirad. “I wanted to be more involved in making a difference to the student community,” Britt adds.
Time is something that Britt doesn’t have much of, considering he is a captain of the DHS squash team, a new member of the National Honor Society, and is applying to colleges this fall. Britt also received the Good Citizen Award, an honor the receipient must be nominated for by a faculty member and then voted on by the senior class. There certainly is a large and laborious amount of work Britt must complete each week. “I spend about eight hours per week on Neirad as editor, it varies depending on the week and when the issue comes out” Britt comments about the time commitment required for his position.
Numerous stories come in from the Neirad contributors every month, but not all of them can be published. Britt sifts through the prospective stories and decides on a select few for online and print based on a certain criteria. “I look for an interesting angle on a story and for informative and interesting quotes which embellish the article, strong leads and complete coverage are also important features.”
For a student that certainly has a lot on his plate Britt seems to be handling his workload without any trouble. Whether on the squash court or in the Neirad room, leading his team to victory, or evaluating the latest school news, everyday presents Britt with opportunities and crucial decisions that he must make in order to better the DHS community. Many students would agree that Britt Gordon always seems to be reaching above and beyond the expectations of the average high school senior.
Sophomore Charlie Baird Sets Stride
In a few short months since breaking five minutes in the mile as a freshman, Charlie Baird established himself as the future of Darien track, and became the sophomore face of the ‘trackie” breed.
“I have the instincts and dedication that is important for a runner,” Charlie said.
This is a sophomore who lives for running, shaving his head before States, compulsively checking results from races he hasn’t even run, and donning colored sunglasses following in the footsteps of former Darien track hero Artem Skobrev and present senior track leader Jake McCauley.
Charlie is also the protector of the team mascot, a stuffed animal duck, an extremely high honor among the cross country squad. The relentless enthusiasm pays off, as this past cross country season Charlie occupied a spot in the top 5 on varsity and established himself as the reigning all star of the track sophomores. Perhaps his influence is best summed up by David Watson who says, “Charlie Baird is an energetic, outgoing, and dedicated facet of the team.”
Coach Jeff Brameier, Top DHS Lax Bro
DHS is known for its phenomenal lacrosse program. The boy’s lacrosse team has been extremely successful, winning eight of the last 11 FCIAC titles. Their achievements can be attributed in large part to head coach, and former DHS student, Jeff Brameier.
Coach Brameier’s passion and success as lacrosse coach may lead some to think he was a lax-er himself. Surprisingly, lacrosse was not always his passion. Coach Brameier hadn’t played lacrosse until his first year coaching the team in 1984 (he played football, basketball, and baseball during his days at DHS).
“Most of what I have learned [about lacrosse] is from my 26 years of coaching,” Coach Brameier explained. Before coaching lacrosse, Coach Brameier originally wanted the position of head baseball coach, but was the athletic director and a football coach at the time. The lacrosse program was trying to upgrade from a club sport to a varsity team, but was lacking a coach. When the spot wasn’t filled, despite his lack of lacrosse experience, Coach Brameier took the role.
With some hard work, the team’s first state title came in 1997, beginning a trend. “It was our first and was a long time coming because we had lost five times in the state finals prior to that,” Brameier said. The 2005 State Championship win of 23-0 stands out as one of Mr Brameier’s proudest moments, “That was a great ride and a fantastic feeling of accomplishment for the entire community.”
Coach Brameier described the pressure of success as a “‘bull’s eye’ on our chest that we work very hard to protect.” He gives the athletes the most credit for the achievements of the program, “they are very ‘driven’ to succeed and do much to enhance their opportunities with out of season training and playing opportunities.”
It’s apparent that Coach Brameier really cares about the team. Junior Ben Preston said, “Coach B is a great coach and he really helps you out with the college process.”
Coach Brameier also attributes a large part of the team’s success to his Associate Head Coach Scott Buckley, Goalie Coach Bobby Lutz, JV Coach Artie Waters, Freshman Coach Charlie Fish, and volunteer coaches: Mike Ryan, Merritt Quirk, Gene Salvator, and Kent Eppley who also seems pretty influential in their own right.
Mr. Francis Janosco, Dr. J
When English teacher Francis Janosco found out he was named to Neirad’s Top 10 Most Influential People list, his eyes grew large and he blurted out, “Confound that vaccine! I knew it wouldn’t work!” When I assured him that he had made the list of influential and not influenza, Mr. Janosco still seemed perplexed, to say the least. Why me? he asked.
Suddenly, with a smile, he had an answer for me: “Might this ‘influence’ be derived from my dramatization of the final scene from ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’?” Got no idea what he’s talking about? I didn’t either; I’m thinking it might be an upperclassman thing. “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a short story many juniors read, ending with a scene where a woman “suffering from a nervous disorder” is tearing down the yellow wallpaper in the room “in which she has been confined,” and stepping over the body of her husband, who has fainted. This is the bit that Mr. Janosco so famously acts out, and something about the hunched over, hitch-step shimmy he does along the whiteboard has won him a place in DHS history.
If you haven’t yet taken the CAPT, you might not know Mr. Janosco too well at this point in your DHS career, but there’s a good chance you’ve had him if you’ve taken the SATs. Mr. Janosco has taught American Studies, American Lit, Contemporary Fiction, and AP English Language, all junior and senior classes, over his storied DHS career. He has taught here for seven years, or, as he puts it, he has been teaching since the current seniors were in 5th grade. Recently, he helped bring the AP English Language and Composition course to the school, having proposed the class and helped to design its curriculum.
Mr. Janosco is also, along with his wife Julie Parham, the co-Resident Director of the ABC program, which means that he spends his days in a high school of more than 1,200 teens and returns home to spend time with six more. While this is an admittedly “nutty lifestyle,” Mr. Janosco says that getting to know each of the 13 past and current ABC girls has been “the greatest thing my wife and I have ever done.”Dedicated to his students at home and at school, Mr. Janosco continues to leave a mark on the DHS community. If you haven’t met him just yet, just remember: it’s a bit of an upperclassmen thing.
Senior George Benitez:
The Face of Blue Wave Football
Even though the football season has just ended, varsity senior quarterback George Benitez’s influence will still be felt on the football team for years to come. The senior is more than just a quarter back, he is a captain of the varsity team.
“Being a captain puts a lot of pressure on my shoulders, not letting down my close friends, family, but most importantly, my team and coaches. I’m looked upon by the team as a leader as well as a role model and work hard every day to lead by example. This year we have a very young and talented team and if we could remain focused for the remaining games, we will have a very strong finish.” Overall, teh football team had a great season with a 7-3 finish.
The most important part of being on a varsity team is being very dedicated. “I never miss a practice, I never miss a game, it is the most important thing in my life, so I dedicated all of me too it.”
Senior team mate Bobby Nolan said “George is a stud on and off the field, he balls outrageous.”
He enjoys hanging out with “the boys” all around the clock. “We are very close, almost like family. I spend most of my off field time with my friends on the team like Drew Davis, Alex Wildish, Biff Maul, and Bobby Nolan (V-8).”
George Benitez is influential to the younger football players who aspire to be on the varsity team. “I hope to influence the younger players by having a positive attitude at practice and during the games and I’m personally looking forward to watching this program grow.”
Senior James Payne, The Anchor
“It feels good. I’m honored.” James Payne
Senior James Payne was nominated as the most influential person at DHS due to his new job as Blue Wave News anchor. He leads a 10-person news team that has the ability to captivate every DHS student with breathtaking stories.
“I don’t want to control opinions.” James said in a typically humble manner. “But I’m glad I’m an influence.”
Payne gives students information about their surroundings, but also has the capability to choose what information to broadcast and what bits to hide, similar to Neirad. But there is one weakness Neirad faces that Blue Wave News does not have to worry. “Everyone has to go the homeroom, but not everyone has to read Neirad,” James said.
Nor do the other influential people such as George Benitez and Rodney enjoy the platform this journalist does. “James is one of the few students who gets to address the school on a regular basis,” Blue Wave News faculty adviser Mr Ivan Crowther said. A privilege the students have come to enjoy when they head to homeroom.
Senior Kenny Weiss, King of the F-Wing
Kenny Weiss is most prominently recognized as the bubbly voice that does the morning announcements. But he is also known to inhabit the F-Wing where he is involved with music and theater. He is president of Tudor Singers and the Ukulele Club: two highly regarded groups housed in the F Wing. His impressive résumé doesn’t stop there. Kenny is the lead guitarist in the well-known student band, Tone. Then there is Theatre 308 where he played Javert in “Les Miserable” last spring. Fellow junior 308er, Patricia Cadareanu says, “Where the student body, to be an autumn tree, with branches of students spreading, this way and that, secluding themselves with their personal activities, Kenny Weiss would be the tree’s atmosphere, mostly because he’s so large.”
And to top it all off, Kenny is also in the jazz band and orchestra group, Pops, where he plays guitar. You might have seen him at the pep rally slamming on his guitar alongside band mates. This friendly senior is very happy to be involved in the music department to promote BWP. When asked what inspires him to be so committed to the life of the school, he replied, “I guess it is just my personality - I like to lend a hand. I don’t try to be an influence; I don’t just wake up with the intent to impart wisdom upon people. I just love to do all the things I do.”
Freshman Reed Morgan Takes Flight
Freshman Reed Morgan won multiple citizen awards at Middlesex. He is guaranteed to come in to high school just as strong. Reed’s impressive resume includes Theatre 308, cross country, debate, Math Team, Garden Club, Men’s a Cappella and Nutmeg.
"I hope that throughout the duration of my time at Darien High School I can make a beneficial difference in the lives of people through active involvement, and that I can also expand upon the variety and quality of such an amazingly welcoming and open academic and extracurricular environment," Reed said.
Reed has also already begun to amaze his teachers. “When Reed showed up for auditions I had no idea who he was. I never saw him before. I had never heard anything about him, but he did a very impressive audition. He conducted himself in such a way I was surprised to learn that he was a freshmen. He had a great deal of confidence and maturity. It’s great working him,” Theatre 308 faculty adviser Nancy Herman said.
Reed has long been looked at as a genius by his own grade. It won’t be long until all of DHS feels the same.
Rockin' Rodney Brown
Rodney Brown is not someone who dreads Monday morning. “Yes, I love it I absolutely love it. I love coming to work and seeing all the students and I have a great group to work with,” Rodney said. He has been working for the Darien School District for 10 years. “He is cheery and does the job with joy, I love Rodney!” junior Caroline Carmichael said. Rodney is dedicated to overseeing the school campus from 6:30a-3p each school day year round. While Rodney’s cleaning he loves listening to music. Music is Rodney’s passion outside of his job. He is the head janitor by day and the rock star by night. Rodney is the lead singer for “Staff Infection,” a group of faculty members who performs at school events. Band mate Matt Pavia is a big fan:. “Rodney is a completely dependable guy, a great singer, and is enthusiastic as anyone I know. I love his positivity and energy.” (Rodney pictured with sophomore Kerry Daigle)
