High School CAPT Scholars Honored
Haddam-Killingworth High School recently honored its students who attained goal in all four areas of the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) given during the Spring of 2004. These CAPT Scholars were invited to a hot buffet breakfast prepared by the Cougar Café on October 27. Students and their parents were applauded for their efforts and commitment to high achievement and mastery. Some of the members in the Class of 2005 also decided to retake portions of the CAPT in order to achieve CAPT Scholar status.

CAPT tests are designed to assess students' reading, writing, math, and science skills. Beginning with the Class of 2006, the State Department of Education mandated that schools require CAPT achievement in all four areas for graduation. The High School recognizes those students who perform at or above goal in all areas by identifying them as CAPT scholars and donning them with special CAPT Scholar stoles at graduation.
Spring 2004 CAPT Scholars list.

Cougars Down Huskies to Stay Alive
In order to qualify for the state tournament, the Haddam-Killingworth Boys Soccer team had get their season record to .500. To do that they just had to keep winning. Yesterday afternoon, they defeated Morgan of Clinton, 3-1, to keep their tournament hopes alive. A final win against Coginchaug on Monday will secure their spot. The game is at home at 3:00 p.m. In the game against the Huskies, Ryan Murray, in his first start back from a concussion suffered last week against Valley Regional, scored one in each half, and Matt Richer scored the first goal of the game. Read more about the game in today's Middletown Press.

Haddam Replaces Reg. 17 School Board Member
Haddam resident Diane W. Stock was named to the Region 17 Board of Education Wednesday. She will fill the seat left vacant when Richard Zygmont, a Republican, resigned on Aug. 12. Read more about the vote. Stock, a Democrat, who said her main concerns were the quality of the high school and an over emphasis on testing, ran unopposed. According to the Middletown Press, Gary D'Amico, Republican Town Committee chairman claimed Republicans were reluctant to seek the nomination after a "viscous attack" by Democrats in the last election.

Field Hockey Wins SLC Title
The Haddam-Killingworth High School Field Hockey Team clinched the Shoreline Conference title with its, 2-0, win over Westbrook yesterday. Leslie Zules scored the game winning goal and Jenna Webber added one to seal it. Read all about the game in today's Middletown Press.
Pictured left to right are HK Field Hockey Seniors: Lisa Juaire, Megan Offner, Stacey Pabst, Chelsea Brookes, Grandma Vera Laverty-grandmother of Chelsea Brookes, Lizzie Maggleby, Kelley Devlin, Sarah Rice and Aylin Ugurlu.


In HK Soccer action, the girls defeated North Branford yesterday. Allie Thomson scored twice and Kimber Stannard added one to blank the T-Birds, 3-0. The Cougars are 12-2 on the year.

Killingworth's Municipal Initiative Workshops
On September 20, more than 20 people attended the kick-off meeting of the NEMO Program at the Town Offices. NEMO is coordinated by the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension Service, and stands for Non-point Education for Municipal Officials. Many who attended the meeting represented the volunteer land-use commissions in Town, including Planning and Zoning, Inland Wetlands and the Conservation Commission.

NEMO provides a series of educational modules designed to address a specific theme our Commissions are faced with. The initial meeting focused on "Linking Land Use to Water Quality," showing how the quantity and quality of water in a system is affected as land is developed. For instance, an undeveloped area is capable of absorbing 50 percent of precipitation, with only 10 percent running off (on the surface of the ground). A developed area may only be capable of absorbing 15 percent of precipitation, with as much 55 percent run off (carrying with it sediment, oil from automobiles, lawn fertilizer, etc.).

The educational modules will lead up to a review of our local land use regulations, whereby we can plan for Killingworth's future to find the proper balance of development and environmental integrity. Killingworth is fortunate to have a significant amount of wetlands in town, and high quality drinking water for all our private wells. Ensuring this remains the case into the future is only one of the goals of the NEMO program. Other educational modules will highlight open space planning, incorporating GIS computer software into our planning efforts and watershed planning.

The public is welcome to join the Commission members and Board of Selectman at the next two programs. Thefirst program is Monday, November 1, 7:30 p.m. at the Town Offices. The topic is reducing runoff. Impervious surfaces like asphalt, concrete and rooftops create polluted runoff and are a major indicator of the impacts of development on water resources. This workshop will focus on planning and site design options to reduce both the amount and impact of impervious surfaces. Information will be presented on road and parking lot designs and alternative materials that promote infiltration. The next meeting will be Monday, November 15, 7:30 p.m. The workshop will cover natural resources inventory. submitted by David Gumbart, Chairman Conservation Commission.

Middle School Participates in Mock Election
Students at the Haddam-Killingworth Middle School will participate in a mock presidential election on Monday, November 1. Students will vote for the candidate they feel would best run our country. The votes will be tallied and announced during the school's morning TV news on Election Day, Tuesday, November 2.

This interdisciplinary unit has included a variety of lessons over the last two weeks. Students have been researching the positions of the presidential candidates and writing persuasive essays in their Language Arts classes. Selected students will read their essays during the monthly Town Meeting on Friday, October 29, beginning at 1:00 p.m. Teachers of science, mathematics, and history classes have also be incorporating content from the presidential election race into their lessons.

The school's morning TV news show will also feature student debates the week prior to elections. Students representing each party will have four minutes to present their case. Homeroom teachers will poll their class each morning to declare the winner and report the results to the media center for broadcasting.

Come Shoot Some Hoops For Kids' Charities
On Friday, November 5, a community-minded group of KES third graders will put on a fun evening of basketball activities to help raise money for area children's charities. "Hoop Fun for Kids" began with KES third-grader Elizabeth Anderson's idea that she might be able to make a difference in her community through her love of basketball. With help from her family, the KES-PTO, Coach Tom Capello, and about a dozen other third graders, this event will offer two sessions of basketball fun and learning right before the start of the local basketball season. This is a great opportunity to tune up your skills and help raise money for a worthy cause. All area elementary school kids are welcome. It's not too late to register! The cost is $10 per participant with all proceeds going to the three charities Elizabeth and the other third-graders selected: Boys & Girls Club of Hartford, Ronald McDonald House and Life Haven in New Haven. The sessions are: 6:00-7:15 p.m. for grades 1-3, and 7:30-8:30 p.m. for grades 4-6. Games, prizes and refreshments will be provided. Registration is limited: please call 663-3481 for more information or to register.

KRC Landscape Architects Provide Cost Estimates
Clough Harbour & Associates has provided the maintenance cost projections for the proposed Killingworth Recreation Complex. According to the document," many factors including number of users, level of care, length of season, park amenities, use of seasonal vs. full-time/year round laborers, degree of work that is outsourced, etc. will affect operations and maintenance expenditures. Also expenditures can be offset by revenue generated from use of the facilities; for example sports tournament fees, contributions from private sports leagues, profits from concessions, etc. Therefore the attached estimate of maintenance costs that are projected for the KRC, should be considered approximate and should be refined as the Town better determines the needs and requirements of the facility and its users." CH&A estimates that the in-house tasks would total $35,116 per year, and the out-sourced services would total $49,500, for a total of $84,616 in estimated maintenance costs per year. View the breakdown of the tasks and costs here.

Moon Puts On a Show
With fairly clear skies last night, the full lunar eclipse was visible starting at around 9:15 p.m. According to NASA, a lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the sun and the moon, casting the Earth's shadow on the moon. When the moon travels completely into the dark inner potion of the Earth's shadow, called the umbra, it is called a total eclipse. The moon does not become completely dark because light from the sun filters and bends through the Earth's atmosphere and can shine on the moon. Lunar eclipses only occur during a full moon. The next total lunar eclipse visible in North America will be on March 3, 2007. A lunar view from Killingworth

Cougars Win at Home
The Haddam-Killingworth High School Boys Soccer, Volleyball and Middle School Boys Soccer teams all won their games at HK on Monday. The Boys Soccer team defeated Old Lyme, 3-1. The Volleyball team defeated Lyme-Old Lyme, 3-0. Game scores were 25-14, 25-14, 25-11. The Middle School Boys Soccer team defeated Hale Ray, 5-0. Sal Zichichi scored twice, and Matt Waldman, Mike Mead and Billy McFee each scored once.

Mature Rights Voter Registration
The Killingworth Registrars of Voters will be at the Town Hall on Monday, November 1, from 9:00 a.m. until 12 noon to accept new voter registrations for residents with mature rights. This is for anyone who has moved into Killingworth since October 19, 2004 or has turned 18 years of age, or became a U.S. Citizen since the 19th of October. They may than become eligible to vote in the election on the following day. For more information please call the Registrars of Voters at 663-4048.

Fire Company Conducts Live Fire Training
The Killingworth Volunteer Fire Company conducted a live fire training session on a small farmhouse planned for demolition on Sunday afternoon. The new owner of the Spencer Hill property planned to raze the building and, thanks to Building Official Dick Leighton, decided to let the Fire Company train on it first. The training is done in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association standards for Live Fire Training using State-certified Fire Service Instructors. Four of the five instructors are members of the KVFC. Without an acquired structure like this, the Company would be forced to conduct these types of drills at the State Fire Academy in Windsor Locks. Approximately 35 firefighters and instructors took part in the exercises last Sunday. Another group from KVFC trained on the building the previous Sunday. Following the exercises, the building was leveled and secured.
To see the KVFC in action view this slideshow.
The KVFC would like to remind all residents that the time change on Saturday, October 30 is a great opportunity to change the batteries in your smoke detectors.

Motion to Postpone KRC Referendum Defeated
At last night's Board of Selectmen's Meeting, Louis Annino, Sr. proposed that the November 20 referendum on the Killingworth Recreation Complex be postponed until the project can be better studied and information on the four major Town projects can be reviewed by the appropriate Town bodies, including the Board of Selectmen, and issued to the public. The motion was defeated by a 2:1 vote. At the start of discussions on the explanatory text to be distributed in advance of the referendum, First Selectman David Denvir informed the Board that the State Election Enforcement Commission had approved only the content in the text that pertained directly to the recreational complex. Information on the Venuti property negotiations, the Town Center Project and the Pharmedica Buildings was rejected. The Town Clerk may issue only position neutral information directly relating to the referendum question. Denvir said he had planned to issue an explanatory text that clearly stated the Town's progress on all the major projects. At the Oct.18 Town Meeting, residents voted to authorized the preparation and printing of an explanatory text in advance of the referendum based on approval by the State Election Enforcement Commission. Both Denvir and Annino voiced their concern over the small turnout of supporters at the Oct. 18 meeting and Saturday's sitewalk. Denvir said a delay would not change the position of the State. Annino said he was just not sure this was what the people wanted. He said the referendum should be delayed until the spring. Selectman Fred Dudek said he thought only another Town vote should postpone the referendum. The explanatory text will now be prepared and printed by the Town Clerk, then mailed to each household. A second Town Meeting will be held at KES on Monday, Nov. 8 at 8:00 p.m., to further discuss the project, approve the bonding, and send the plan to a town referendum on Saturday, Nov. 20.

This week, Killingworth Democratic Town Committee Chairman Michael J. Sanders encourages residents to vote the Democratic ticket on Tuesday, November 2. In addition to his endorsements of the candidates, he says voting here honors "what citizens in other countries long to do". Read his complete remarks here.

Recreational Complex Site Walk
The many hours of hard work put in by the town crews and officials was evident on Saturday as interested parties were greeted at the Bosco Farmhouse, with cider, donuts and maps, then ventured into the fields and woods that may soon become soccer fields, baseball fields and recreational facilities. The brisk day may have kept some from getting on the shuttle bus, but those who accepted the town's invitation to view the 133-acre property, were treated to a beautiful autumn day.

First Selectman David Denvir said the 20-year bond for the project, estimated at a conservatively high 4¾ percent, would cost approximately $145.00 per year for someone paying taxes on a $350,000 home, and about $50 per year for someone in a $125,000 home. Denvir said the mil rate change would be .60 mils. The next Town Meeting to discuss the proposed construction will be held on November 8, at 8:00 p.m. in the All-Purpose room at Killingworth Elementary School. The referendum vote will be held on Saturday, November 20. The voting hours will be determined at the November 8, Town Meeting. View the Clough Harbour & Associates plan here. View the more detailed .pdf file here.

For those of you who were not able to walk the property, a short slideshow of the field areas is available here.

Cub Scouts Halloween Party
The Killingworth Pack 18 Cub Scout Troop held its monthly meeting on Friday at KES. Cub Scouts were treated to a pumpkin carving contest, a donut eating contest, and scary stories by a campfire. The Troop's Tiger Cubs were also inducted into the full Cub Scouts with the presentation of their Bobcat badges. photos courtesy Mike Irwin.

Football and Field Hockey Win at Home
The Haddam-Killingworth High School Football Team defeated Old Saybrook-Westbrook, 26-23, yesterday at the Cougar Stadium. Adam Chamberlain rushed for 204 yards and one touchdown, Brian Foley and Keith Otis scored in the first half and Martin Ramsey scored in the second half. The HK Field Hockey Team defeated Westhill, 1-0. Chelsea Griswold scored the lone goal on a pass from Chelsea Brookes. In Clinton yesterday, the HK Cross Country Teams competed in the Shoreline Conference Championships. The boys' team finished second behind Coginchaug. Ryan MacNeeley and Cory Weiss finished first and second. The girls' team finished third behind Old Lime and Coginchaug. Danielle Funaro, who placed third, was the Cougars' top finisher. Read more about the Championship in today's New Haven Register. It was also announced at halftime of the football game that Chris Laudano and Jamie McDermott were voted Homecoming King and Queen.

The Cupcake Café Cookbook
by Ann Warren & Joan Lilly
ISBN: 0385483392

The Cupcake Café opened in 1988 on the corner of Ninth Avenue and Thirty-ninth Street in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. It began as a made-from-scratch doughnut shop, and over time the owners expanded their offerings to include cookies, muffins, scones, sticky buns, brownies, pies, and cakes. The cakes were unique in their ornate decorations, usually topped with colorful flowers of various kinds, all made of butter cream frosting.

The cookbook lists the famous Cupcake Café recipes, scaled down for the individual baker. Nearly a third of the book is devoted to cakes, with recipes for several kinds of cake, as well as the coveted butter cream frosting recipe. Also described in this section are tips on cake decorating, which begin with a helpful page called "hazards to butter cream". The cookbook also includes sections on equipment for frosting and decorating, forming flowers with butter cream, and how to make colored butter cream, with specific formulas for various hues.

The Cupcake Café Cookbook is lovely enough to inspire anyone to attempt cake decorating, or to at least perfect his or her butter cream recipe. To take a look at some of the beautiful cakes and cupcakes produced by the Cupcake Café, point your web browser to: www.cupcakecafe.com

Susan Miller is the Associate Director of the Arnold Bernhard Library at Quinnipiac University. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Music from Ohio State University and a M.S. in Library Science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Contact Susan at covertocover@killingworthtoday.com