Brittany Barber, Features Editor
@BarberCourant
On Monday, October 24 the NCHS swim and dive team held a swim meet at the New Canaan YMCA in honor of former swim coach and teacher, Kelly Devine. The swim meet was against Norwalk High School, another community close to Kelly. In high school, Kelly swam for Norwalk for four years and was a captain of the team her s
enior year. As both teams were a valuable aspect to her life, it was decided that this tradition should involve both towns.
At the meet, the swimming community came together to find various ways to spread the word about her passing, as well as honor the wonderful person she was. Team members on either team wore swim caps that referenced one of Kelly’s favorite quotes: “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.” This quote also appeared on the back of the ‘KKD’ (Kelly Kathleen Devine) t-shirts that were distributed during the meet. Besides apparel, tribute posters were made by the teams and hung around the pool deck. These posters include quotes she said, as well as students words about Kelly’s significance to them.
The event was especially meaningful for those who were close to her. Senior Shannon Bucci, who is a member of the NCHS swim team and someone who looked up to Kelly said, “It was an amazing way to honor Kelly because a lot of people on the swim team were really close to her. We’ve grown up knowing her as a coach and mentor from summer swimming.”
The meet was organized by Kelly’s close friend and coach, Katherine Munson, as well as Claire Egan. “There was a ton of support from teachers at both NCHS and Saxe who showed up for the meet,” Shannon said. “It was awesome to be able to honor her with the support of her past colleagues and family.”
Before the start of the meet, NCHS swim coach and math teacher, David Fine presented a speech about Kelly Devine and the importance of this new tradition. He began by saying, “A lifelong resident of Norwalk, Kelly began her swimming career as a six-year-old at Shorehaven Golf Club. Kelly quickly embraced the sport, and started training year-round with the Norwalk Zeus Swim Team. Over the next decade, Kelly was a leader both in and out of the water, acting as an older sister and mentor for numerous teammates.”
Alongside her childhood experiences that led her to becoming an influential coach and mentor, Mr. Fine added, “She will always be remembered for the kindness, sincerity and generosity that she showed every person she encountered throughout her time as a student, mentor, teacher and coach. Though she is sorely missed, her legacy lives on among the countless students, swimmers, teachers and coaches who were fortunate enough to call her a colleague, mentor and friend.”
