Top 10 Most Influential Women at DHS
NEIRAD enilno edition
Our Neirad Enilno team thought it was difficult to narrow the list down for DHS’s Top 10 Influential Guys list last month. The difficulty only increased when we had to sort through dozens of names of girls and women in an effort to figure out whom to feature from the dozens of possible candidates.
It is an admirable problem for DHS to have. There are so many people contributing to the many aspects of life that make a school community come together. There are certainly dozens if not hundreds of more viable candidates on the distaff side.
Here is the final list of girls and women who landed a place on Neirad Enilno’s first ever 10 Most Influential Girls List. Who knows? Maybe we should make it a monthly installment!
Freshman Angelica Cortez Resets Darien Fashion Richter Scale
Students may have noticed this new girl walking down the hall with an enviable wardrobe that includes skinny jeans and a plethora of cool shoes, including Timberlands, Converse, Nikes, and so much more. This is none other than Angelica Cortez – the spunky freshman with a lot of personality.
It is not surprising Angelica responded that she classifies her look as “classic New Yorker style.” Angelica just arrived in Darien less than six months ago from her native Harlem. She is all ready resetting the fashion Richter scale with her distinctive look. When Neirad asked Angelica if she receives lots of compliments for her style in unison three freshmen responded, “Yes!”
Angelica is the only freshmen participating in A Better Chance. (ABC) She had to complete a competitive application process to be accepted into this prestigious program. The ABC gives top students a chance to further their education.
“I like the school a lot, and the friends I have made. Academically it’s rigorous, but that is what I came here for. The teachers also are very nice.”
Angelica is proud of her Puerto Rican ethnicity. “There is not a lot of diversity in the school so I want to influence DHS culturally. My experiences give DHS a different perspective on society.”
Angelica may be a new member of the DHS student body yet in just a few months she has landed a pretty impressive extracurricular resume: Names Day, Dance Team, Black History Month planning committee, GSA, Person-to-Person and softball in the spring. Angelica is also trying to encourage a Hispanic history month presentation similar to the Black History Month.
Junior Anthia Diaz says her fellow housemate has what it takes to make even more of a name for herself in her Darien High School years.
“She’s outspoken, so if there is something wrong she will speak out about it. She has leadership potential and is a great person,” Anthia said.
Keep your eyes out because with her enthralling wardrobe you won’t miss Angelica upping the fashion ante in her new school.
Senior Corinne Sommi All Around Influential
You may know senior Corinne Sommi from the volleyball court or lacrosse field, but you may not know that her academics match her impressive athletic resume.
Let’s start with volleyball. Corinne just helped lead her team to States with fellow senior co-captains Sarah Gorski and Colby Billhardt. In the spring Corinne moves from the volleyball court to the turf where she plays varsity lacrosse.
She is on the starting line-up when it comes to academics too. Corinne takes almost all honor classes including Authentic Research. Corinne is very influential because she continues to push herself everyday whether on the field, or in the classroom. When asked about her academic hard work, her honors physics teacher, Mr. Record, said, “she’s very consciences and very hardworking. She’s never afraid to come in for help and works hard to try her best. She’s very relentless (in a positive way).”
“It is an honor to be one of the most influential females, but I think that Colby, Sarah, and Coach (LaRusso) should be sharing this spot with me. If I am influential as a volleyball captain, my claim to fame would be nothing without the three of them.” Corinne said.
Corinne is a team player, she’s modest about her successes, and is able to keep a positive attitude throughout the game. “Corinne was really the rock of the team.” Colby Billhardt said. “She was always calm and cool under pressure and was a great leader and role model to the younger girls. Playing volleyball next to her is an experience I will never forget. I’m so lucky to have become so close to her over these four years,” Billhardt said.
Corinne hopes to play lacrosse and volleyball in college, either part of a club team or the school team. Her former French teacher, Madame Riordan thought that Corinne would go very far in life because she was successful and a hard worker.
“I consider myself a hard worker and I definitely don’t think I would be very influential if I wasn’t. I try to do my best at everything, both academically and athletically. It is very frustrating when you work your hardest and still don’t accomplish your goal, but I try to turn the frustration into determination to do better.” Corinne said on her hard work.
Corinne continues to influence the people around her by her academic persistence and keeping everyone positive.
Junior Elizabeth Leimkuhler Petite Performance Powerhouse
Junior Elizabeth Leimkuhler is a hard one to peg. Her on-stage appearance changes with each Theatre 308 play. Most recently it was “The Curious Savage” where she took the role of the elderly Mrs. Ethel Savage this fall or last year when Elizabeth starred in “Dead Man Walking.” But who is the real person behind all these stage characters? For starters she is a petite and spunky student who first got into acting in eighth grade when she tried out for the play “Fable.” Acting has become both a creative expression and an outlet from everyday life.
“I like acting because it allows me to completely embody another person and leave all of my problems and worries behind, if only for a couple hours at a time,” Elizabeth said.
But acting isn’t the only thing in which Elizabeth excels. She’s the lead singer for Tone, a student band here at DHS. The singing happened long before Middlesex when she found her voice in third grade on a vacation to Austria. It all happened while watching a puppet show when she began to sing along with the production. The voice that emanated was a revelation.
“She is easily the most talented person I know, sophomore Nicole Gutierrez said.
Elizabeth enjoys the new opportunity she has to sing with Tone. She gets paid to jump around on stage and have fun; Elizabeth also likes just hanging with her band mates even if she is only female presence.
“Tone is really cool. But since I’m the only girl in the band, the other members make fun of me. But I’m okay with it because I’m cooler than all of them, even (band mate) Alex Wildish,” Elizabeth said.
Elizabeth plans on extending her run into college where she will major in music in college and audition for plays. (She enjoys plays more than musicals because she finds them too corny!) Elizabeth’s talents will bring her far in life and inspire many of us here at DHS.
Sophomore Hannah Carmody Promotes the Power of Positive Thinking
Hannah Carmody’s influence is in her aura. This happy-go-lucky sophomore keeps spirits up in our often stressed-out building.
“Hannah is so funny. She can always make me laugh. Walking down the hall way you can always identify her with her big smile and cute outfits,” sophomore Sara Shaker said.
Hannah is known to always have a smile on her face. Even if she is having a bad day, her enthusiasm will still shine through. “My mood always tends to match my outfit, therefore I try to positively present myself so that I feel good throughout the day,” Hannah said.
Hannah’s enthusiasm is not the only thing that reflects her most influential status. She strives to take the hyper-competitive edge out of academic endeavors. “Hannah comes to class happy every day. Although she worked as an individual she was also open to helping out others,” science teacher Athena Tsaparakis said.
Hannah’s enthusiastic personality and helpfulness spreads towards her attitude in class, as well as her extracurricular activities. Hannah always follows the motto, “I do what I love and I love what I do.” Hannah does it well.
She has been cheerleading for two years. Her passion for dance performance is not only expressed in cheer, but also at Walter Schalk’s School of Dance. She serves as a student teacher at the school where she has been enrolled for eight years. Hannah works with 6th and 7th graders on Monday nights. The work at Walter Schalk reinforces her mission to help others.
Hannah’s eager personality and work ethic makes her a great inspiration towards other students. Why not follow Hannah’s philosophy to take a moment to smile more in 2010!
Kaitlin Maier, Overall Senior Babe
Intelligent, charitable, athletic, and a mentor to all are attributes senior Kaitlin Maier has no trouble fulfilling. Kaitlin’s superior academic record, leadership on sports teams, and devotion to the community makes her one of the most influential girls at Darien High School.
Most seniors find themselves rolling out of bed around noon on Saturday mornings, but Kaitlin is one teenager who seems to take advantage of every moment the day has to offer. Kaitlin starts her Saturday mornings by driving about an hour to New York City so she can attend classes at Columbia University.
Although Kaitlin modestly says she is just “naturally gifted,” her peers beg to differ. “Kaitlin is a very diligent worker if she has to get something done you can rely on her to make it happen, whether its running in a cross country meet or just working in the classroom,” senior Willem Sandberg said.
Along with being an exceptional scholar Kaitlin is now the vice president of the National Honor Society, which requires students to have at least a 3.7 GPA to qualify for acceptance.
If this seems like a heavy workload Kaitlin finds a way to keep plugging away towards more and more activities, by participating in several extracurricular programs including being president of the China Care Club and a key member of the DHS Math Team.
There is nothing this senior can’t handle, not only does she face strenuous academic challenges each day but athletic ones as well. This year Kaitlin was a cross country captain along with senior co-captains, Hannah Lyons, Kelly Brophy, and Kristen Abberley. "I LOVE KAITLIN MAIER, she is one of the most high-spirited girls I know. She always made practices fun no matter how hard our work out was," Abberley said.
Essentially one can sum up Kaitlin Maier in the words of senior Emy Gruppo, “A genius, nice, and overall total babe.”
Librarian Jennifer “Eagle-Eye” Cirino
In just a little over two years, Jennifer Cirino has become one of the most influential people at Darien High School. Ms Cirino is known for her work in our library where she is the media specialist. In this capacity, Ms Cirino helps to run the library; works with classes instructing students how to conduct research; works to integrate technology with teachers, and, finally, is there to answer any question posed by a student.
“I like interacting with students on a daily basis, dealing with all grades and subjects, and every day is different,” Ms Cirino said. “And I like technology and I have a strong passion for books, so the librarian job is the right one for me.”
Ms Cirino is new to the library scene. Before coming to DHS in the fall of 2007, she worked as an English teacher at Norwalk High School. Lucky for students, Ms Cirino has no intention of going back to the classroom to teach The Great Gatsby or how to correctly place a semicolon. Ms. Cirino wants to help students use technology to its best advantage. Her goal is to promote new innovative ways to research topics.
“I’m a big fan of NoodleTools. There are a lot of good, reliable sources out there; you just got to find them. NoodleTools makes it easy to cite sources and it should be a very important part to any research project,” Ms Cirino said.
However, the main reason everyone knows Ms Cirino is her job as protector of her library kingdom. She protects tranquility in the library by kicking misbehaving students out.
“If Ms Cirino was an animal she would be a bird… maybe a crow… or a raven… no she’s an eagle because she has an eagle’s eye for the library, she can spot everyone out, and she’s good at that,” senior Dylan Magida said.
While Ms Cirino may be best known for her ability to spot misbehaving students, she is more than that. “I don’t want to be remembered as the put your backpack away, sit down, and be quiet person, but as someone who is there to help students and wants the best for them.” Ms Cirino said.
Interestingly, Dylan is not the only one to say Ms Cirino is like an eagle… Ms Cirino thinks so too. “If I were an animal I would be an eagle. They have excellent eyesight, they can fly, and can get places quickly… and they are predators so their risk of getting attacked is less in the animal kingdom. Not that I would prey on lesser animals, I would just like my risk of getting attacked to be less.”
The Science of a Successful Teacher
Many freshmen walk into BSCS biology class with an overwhelming sense how great that day’s class is going to be. This is because the select group has one of Neirad Enilno’s Most Influential Women in the classroom. This teacher is none other than Susan Ruegger. It is not a surprise why so many love her class. Ms. Ruegger sets a positive feeling since the anticipation is that the lesson is going to be fun even through the arduous process of note taking.
“Ms. Ruegger is one of my two favorite teachers that I have this year,” freshman Yuta Inumaru said.
Mrs. Ruegger is the teacher every student wants. She has been teaching BSCS, the honors biology course for 22 years until she took up AP Biology this year and gave up one of her BSCS classes to Ms Janet Daniele. It is not with some regret Mrs Ruegger relinquished one section of honors biology. “I like the challenge of AP biology, but miss the enthusiasm of the other freshman,” Ms Ruegger said.
In class, Ms. Ruegger guides students if they do not know an answer, and makes them think hard to reach an understanding. Her tests are challenging, but it is a way for students to try their best to attain an A. “It is definitely possible, but you just have to work very hard for it,” seniors Brandon Wong and Andrew Gange said.
Ms. Ruegger has inspired some of the most talented students in the school to learn and excel. Sure there are a few in the class that may want Ms. Ruegger to make the class easier, but they know that she is helping them learn information that will be helpful for their education. “Now we can be prepared for the test on time,” freshman Patrick Daigle said.
Ms. Ruegger allows the students to explore their own learning as well. Raising hands are limited and when she asks “some question” people call out answers until the right one is found. How is this effective? Well, without raising their hands, students are more willing to share their answers. Since many people are sharing their answers, if it is wrong, no one in the class feels put on the spot. Successful interactions and well-focused class lessons are the result.
Ms. Ruegger’s willingness to help the students who need it is amazing. She will do anything to help a person succeed. Her openness is what all students want to see in their teachers and she even believes in “differences.” She told her freshmen biology students if someone sticks out because he/she does something different, it is variety and that is good. For this, she is the most influential women by guiding students to strive to do their best and positing an attitude that our differences can become our strengths.
Marj Trifone in the Swim
As swimmers walk into the stuffy, chlorine-filled air pool at the YMCA in Darien they see a brown-haired, fit, Nike-wearing coach busy at work. It is Marj Trifone who is coaching 32 girls while they swim back and forth for 90 minutes.
“I enjoy working with kids, living with kids, and hanging out with them during school,” Coach Trifone said. Her positive attitude influences the DHS student body every day, with good and healthy choices.
Coach Trifone is master of multitasking. While she coaches along the pool side, Ms Trifone also juggles keeping track of swimmers’ times and preparing lectures and grading quizzes for her health classes. She also teaches gym.
Oh, and it doesn’t stop there. Ms Trifone is making sure her three young sons, two college kids, a boy and a girl, and her husband and fellow DHS teacher Rob are well. Many teachers in this school work very hard at their job along with taking time to advise clubs and make sure students understand the material.
Marj Trfone ups the ante leading a living, winning, stressful, determined swim team to excellence. “Marj has always been a leader in our department always striving to bring positive changes to the department” colleague and coach Jeff Brameier said.
Coach Trifone influences the school every day by taking part in choices that make sure that the kids of DHS are happy and learning. “I think she influences the school by her ability to relate to kids easily,” sophomore Monica O’Brien said.
Mrs. Cambareri, Mrs. Schoknecht, Mrs. Ricci, and Mrs. Hyatt: The Fab Four
The “office ladies.” You know they're there, working in the main office, working... but on what? Linda Cambareri, whose title on the DHS Faculty Web page simply says, “Admin. Secretary,” was at a complete loss at how to answer this question. “There are so many little things that I do that add up,” Mrs Cambareri said. Luckily, Principal Dan. Haron was there to put his assistants' work into words: “We [the administrators] could probably not come to work and they would take care of it.” Mr Haron was smiling as he said it, but I could tell he really meant it. And as I talked to each of these ladies, it was clear as to why they had made the Top Ten Influential Women's list: forget the “influential”- DHS needs these powerhouses!
Many students have probably not had the pleasure of meeting these women in person. Admittedly, they may be one of DHS's best-kept secrets: these women who work every day unknown, unseen, to make sure that the school keeps on running and that everyone graduates, literally. Between Mrs. Rosemarie Hyatt, Mrs. Linda Cambareri, Mrs. Patti Schoknecht , and Mrs. Meg Ricci, a lot of things we take for granted are efficiently dealt with, produced, and handled. For instance, if you've ever gotten suspended from school (let's hope not), Mrs. Cambareri made sure the paperwork was in order. Those announcements on the plasma screens around the building? That's Mrs. Schoknecht's handiwork. Love those new textbooks? Mrs. Ricci, the DHS Bursar, ordered them. And who can forget Mrs. Hyatt, manning her usual, familiar spot next to Chuck Ferguson at the attendance desk for 28 years?
Mrs. Cambareri, Mrs. Schoknecht, and Mrs. Ricci are also “the brains behind every major operation at DHS.” Indeed, at the end of the year, they produce the graduation and awards ceremonies, and it must be a relentless flurry of activity with their bosses constantly breathing cold air down their backs in this office... except for the fact that they happen to work for “amazing, supportive, great people,” meaning our administrators: Mr. Dan Haron, Mrs Ellen Dunn, Mrs. Donna Russo, and Mr. Michael Sullivan. We are lucky to have them too, and that they're apparently not in any way similar to a certain, fictitious boss, who goes by the name of Michael Scott.
When asked whether their job environment resembles that of the show, The Office, they replied avidly: “No! No, absolutely not... because there's no office romance, for one thing.” Although, Mrs. Ricci added as an afterthought: “Mr. Sullivan does have that quiet confidence of Jim Halpert... he has that sort of mojo.”Oh, and Mrs. Ricci does have a red Swingline stapler.
Senior Katharine Macomber Power on Ice
You may not recognize her from behind layers of goalie padding or behind the wheel of an ambulance. Senior Katharine Macomber is still well-known to the Neirad Enilno team even if she does not seek the limelight. We decided to take a look at one of this month's most influential girls on and off the ice.
Starting in her freshmen year Katharine has been an incredible force on the DHS Girls’ Hockey team. Her goal-keeping skills have even been recognized across the state. In 9th grade, along with being named MVP of the DHS team, Katharine was honored as 2nd team all FCIAC. Sophomore and junior year Katharine was a team captain and recognized as 1st team all-FCIAC. After the team’s successful season winning both the FCIAC and State title, Katharine won MVP of the entire FCIAC tournament last year. She has led the team as a captain for the past two years as well.
Along with her impressive hockey resume, Katharine also makes time to volunteer as a driver at Post 53. Time management is the key to her multifaceted success. “Post is a huge commitment, so freshmen year I learned how to manage all of my activities. It wasn’t easy at first but I was forced to learn,” Katharine said. Her success in hockey while managing the commitment of Post makes her an impressive role model.
“Katharine’s the reason I come to school everyday and she inspires me to strive for excellence, she is my role model,” junior Jack Newton said.
Freshmen sister Caroline Macomber agrees, “She’s a great role model for high school girls who are active in sports as well as involved in extracurricular activities.” The role model herself considers her mom the biggest influence on her life.
Katharine also manages to fit an enthusiasm for politics in her free time. According to junior, Andrew Wood, Katharine is “a ringleader of conservatism” here at DHS and aims to “spread moderate conservatism throughout the DHS population.” She can often be found going on a political rampage to anyone willing to listen. “Most of my friends expect that I will go on some sort of rant when anything outrageous from the far left comes out in the news,” Katharine said.
Katharine clearly has a fun sense of humor and recently said, “I consider myself entertaining,” and we most definitely agree. Her witty personality and busy schedule is what makes us consider her one of the Top 10 Most Influential Girls at DHS.
