This past August, New Canaan High School made national news. The school’s name was featured on national news outlets like the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New York Post, CNN, and many others. The publicity, however, was not exactly a celebration of the school, as it featured a scandal in which two school lunch ladies were responsible for stealing almost $500,000, according to CNN.
NCHS was criticized on a national level and became the punch-line of countless jokes and comedy skits. The scandal even made it into a BarStool Sports article in which authors poked fun at the town of New Canaan as a whole—the football culture, the affluence, and even the moms. The ordeal was not exactly the type of positive publicity that students hope to see about their school.
It is often said that actions speak louder than words. Sure, the words in these articles were not exactly what NCHS students want to be associated with but, barely two months into the school year, students’ actions are already telling a completely different narrative. As the Courant began the process of deciding what we would cover, we encountered students and teachers whose talents told a much different, and much more accurate, story about NCHS.
NCHS senior Sachi Krishna, for example, volunteered to perform neurological research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx this past summer. As someone who has always loved science, Sachi used her talent to further the field of neuroscience and even had her work published in the Oxford Neuroscience Journal.
Over the summer, senior Ava Edmonds also used her time to develop a talent of hers. Having been a ballet dancer since a young age, Ava traveled to Moscow, Russia to practice ballet at the Bolshoi Academy. As part of the trip, she also learned about the Russian language and culture.
Countless athletes also worked hard this summer and their dedication has shown as they have excelled in their respective sports. Athletes Andrew Malling, Elaina Tiller, Molly Mitchell, Jack Conley, and Elizabeth St. George have demonstrated their talents in cross country, field hockey, football, and soccer, respectively.
With eight months left in the year, who knows what else NCHS students will accomplish to make a name not only for themselves but for NCHS as a whole. Maybe NCHS will make national news for a second time this year, but this time it will be for the accomplishments of its students!
