Shoes will be collected for Haiti in Memory of Molly Hightower, a young volunteer who perished in Haiti's earthquake.

Any gently used or new shoes, boots, flip flops, etc. for men, women or children will be accepted. There will be a donation box in the lobby of the Killingworth Library and Roberts Food Center in Madison. All shoes must be received by February 13. If you have any questions please contact Patti Cusick at 663-3886. Thank you for your support!

The Haddam-Killingworth Youth Lacrosse Association will host an information "open house" for parents and youths interested in learning about the upcoming spring season for grades 1st through 8th. This will be a great opportunity to learn and ask questions about the program, meet the organizers, and even sign up to volunteer!

The meeting times are Saturday, January 30th from 9:00am to 11am and Thursday, February 4th at 7pm. Both meetings will be at the Killingworth Volunteer Fire Co. Please park and enter at the rear of the building. For additional information please see our website at www.hkyouthlax.org.

Members of Killingworth Brownie Troop 62878 recently toured Shoreline Animal Hospital in Clinton. The girls and Troop Leader Lynn Gallant, were able to get a behind-the-scenes look at what a veterinarian does. Dr. Julie Berman, DVM, led the tour and talked to the girls about the importance of proper pet care, showed them the facilities and let the girls view x-rays of different animals. While there, the girls were able to get a glimpse at some canine and feline patients.

The Brownies, pictured, are all second graders at Killingworth Elementary School. The girls are shown holding up their donations of dog and cat food which they brought with them. Shoreline Animal Hospital will donate the food, on behalf of the Brownies, to a local animal shelter.

To the Editor:
On behalf of Helping Hands of Killingworth, we would again like to thank everyone in town for their generosity during the holidays. We had a record amount of food donated, and we were able to meet the need for the increasing number of people that we help. Right now, our shelves are quite empty, and we are looking to our generous neighbors to help us restock. If you can help us out, please leave your donations in our year-round collection bin at the Killingworth Library. It is just inside the second set of doors, and accessible during normal library hours, 10am - 4:30pm Mon-Sat, and until 8pm on Tues and Thurs. We are in particular need of the following nonperishable food items: tuna, spaghetti sauce and pasta, plain rice, instant mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, canned fruit, canned yams, coffee, tea, and oatmeal. Please check expiration/sell by dates before you donate.

Thank you so much for your support,
Jan O'Sullivan and Mercedes Ricciuti

HK Sports: If you are a fan of run and gun, fast-breaking, up tempo basketball, then Wednesday Night at the HK Fieldhouse was the place to be. The visiting Stafford Bulldogs provided the style of play, and the host Cougars were more than willing to oblige. The Boys Basketball team played the Bulldogs at their own game, blitzing Stafford on their way to an impressive, 83-70, victory. The 83 points were a season high. The two teams combined for over 150 points and a combined 70 free throws attempted in a game that lasted close to two hours.

In somewhat of a coming out party, three Cougar underclassmen put together impressive stat lines. Leading the scoring barrage was Sophomore sharp shooter Erik Carlson, who poured in a game and career high 23 points, including three 3-point field goals, as well as hitting 10-12 free throws. Carlson also added an impressive 11 rebounds. Not to be outdone, Junior power forward Johnny Webber overcame a slow start to add career highs of 21 points and 14 rebounds. In addition, three's a party as Sophomore center Wes Nuhn dominated the paint, rounding out the third double-double of the night with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The "Big Three" of the Cougars combined for 61 points, 35 rebounds and 10 assists to improve the team's record to 4-8. Rounding out the scoring was Senior Rob Flynn with 8, Junior Brian Zak with 5, Senior Andrew Brough with 4, and Sophomores Dan Kovach and Trevor Phelan with 3 and 2 points a piece. H-K turns right around to host the T-Birds of North Branford on Friday night in Higganum at 5:30 and 7:00 for JV and Varsity.

The HKMS Girls Basketball team fell to Eliot Tuesday at Eliot, 33-30. The Cougars had a slow offensive start resulting in an Eliot lead of 19-11 at the half. Both teams held each other to a low scoring 3rd period, with Eliot holding a 9-point lead to start the 4th. HK didn't give up and went on a 6-0 run to come within 2 points with a 1:47 left in the game. Eliot came out on top despite HK's valiant 4th period effort. Scoring for the Cougars were Maya Savino with 10 points, Lauren McCann with 7 points, Kiley Anderson with 6 points, Ciara Samuel with 3, Maddy DeRita chipping in two, Liz Anderson and Casey Jackson each with 1. Photo and write up courtesy D. Savino

The Central Connecticut Aquatics Team (CCAT) swimmers competed in the Charter Oak Pentathlon swim meet on Saturday, January 23rd, held at the Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Middletown, CT. Each swimmer competed in five (5) events including the butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle and individual medley. The top twelve cumulative scorers in each age group were awarded trophies (10 and under and 11-12 year old age groups) or a medal (13 and over age groups). A total of twelve (12) swimmers from CCAT placed in the top finalists and received awards.

Brooke Perrotta of Killingworth and Scott Romeyn of Durham won trophies in the 10 and under age group. Allie Bazinet and Peter Fulton of Wethersfield, Marissa Rossi of Madison and David Labonte of Deep River won medals in the 13-14 age group. Richard Denton of Madison, John Mackiewicz of Wallingford, Michael Cozzi of East Hampton, Sarah Bradner of Colchester and Tim Landon of Guilford won medals in the 15 and over age group, with Faith Martin of Bristol placing first.

CCAT swim team www.swimccat.com is comprised of over 50 swimmers ages 7-21. The non-profit competitive swim team is a member of Connecticut Swimming and USA Swimming, with swimmers who compete on all levels, including sectional and national meets. They utilize the Larry Hart pool on the Choate Rosemary Hall campus in Wallingford, Connecticut.

Central Connecticut Aquatics Team (CCAT) Pentathlon Top Finalists. Photo and writeup courtesy H. Hajna

HK Sports: The HKHS Boys Swimming and Diving Team swam away with another win Tuesday, defeating Classical Magnet School 91-77 bringing their overall record to 6-1. Placing first in all but one event, the team gathered 11 first places, 6 second places and 7 third places. First place performances were turned in by Ryan Buys in the 200 Freestyle (1:59.41) and the 500 Freestyle (5:15.99); Raymond Moore in the 200 IM (2:27.03) and the 100 Butterfly (1:02.87); Tanner Kahre in the 100 Freestyle (1:00.00); Jeff Ludington in the 100 Backstroke (1:03.91); Ryan Blewett in the 100 Breaststroke (1:13.04); Ludington, Blewett, Buys, and Steve Saunders in the 200 Medley relay (1:54.43); Blewett, Kahre, Clayton Rountree, and Moore in the 200 Freestyle relay (1:48.88); Buys, Moore, Kahre, and Ludington in the 400 Freestyle relay (3:48.25); and Reece Gesick in Diving (178.57). Second place finishers included Blewett in the 200 IM (2:30.19); Cody Johansen in the 50 Freestyle (27.28); Ludington in the 500 Freestyle (5:16.36); Jared Benton-Smith in the 100 Backstroke (1:12.60); Johansen, Rountree, Benton-Smith, and Paul Morasutti in the 400 Freestyle relay (4:28.46); and Colin Gaffey in Diving (133.87). Individual third place finishers included Benton-Smith in the 200 Freestyle (2:18.25); Rountree in the 50 Freestyle (27.29); Emmery Bates in the 100 Butterfly (1:21.14); Matt DiGregorio in the 100 Backstroke (1:20.65); and Richie Afragola in the 100 Breaststroke (1:17.19).

The team will travel to Waterbury to face Kennedy High School this Friday. Write up and photo courtesy M. Hughes

Nearing the end of the 2009 - 2010 HKMS Wrestling season, the team challenged Guilford in the Cougar gym on Monday. In a rematch from earlier in the season, improvements were evident in many of the young wrestlers. Wins were earned by Warren, Roth, Henderson, Epright, Byrne. In only the second year for the MS team, the high school should benefit from their efforts in the years ahead. HKMS wrestling will host the last home match of the season next Wednesday against Hamden Hall. They will end their season on Saturday, January 6th at the Middletown Tournament.

If Tuesday's game between Eliot of Clinton and Haddam-Killingworth is any indication of the next four years of Boys Basketball, then the Morgan vs. H-K rivalry may never be better. After 32 minutes of intense basketball, HKMS was able to hold off a furious Eagle rally, as the Cougars remained perfect with a, 43-32, victory. With the win, the Cougars improve to 9-0 on the season, with their next game away against North Branford.

From the opening tip, the intensity was high as the Cougars jumped out to an early lead of 16-8, as they used their patented press defense to cause turnovers that led to easy baskets. As any good team would, Eliot made their run and cut the Cougar lead to 22-14 at half time. Knowing that the first three minutes of each half are crucial, the Cougars delivered the knockout blow, bursting out to a 10-0 run to start the half that allowed them to never look back. Leading the way for the Cougars was Captain Kyle McCormick, who recorded his 2nd straight 20 point game, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Aiding the party was Luke Ford, who chipped in eight points of his own to go along with a game high 13 rebounds. In all the Cougars grabbed more rebounds (39) than Eliot scored points (32). Johnny Abbott added nine big points as well a career high six boards, and Kenny Callahan and Ethan Kovach rounded out the scoring with 4 and 2 points respectively. In addition, although he did not score, the unselfish passing and sound defense of Peter Welch could not be overlooked, as he, John Schuster, Tommy DiMauro, and Nick Afragola all saw important action in the contest.

The Haddam-Killingworth Recreation Department is offering 2nd Grade Basketball on Saturdays, January 30th - March 13th (No class 2/20) from 10:30 - 12:00 PM at the Killingworth Elementary School gym. The fee is $50. Non-residents may register for an additional $10.

This is an instructional program to teach 2nd grade boys and girls the fundamentals of basketball. Skills such as dribbling, passing, shooting, & defense will be taught. A great way for young players to prepare for the youth league.

For more information, please call the HK Recreation Department at 345-8334 or visit www.hkrec.com.

Looking for something WILD to do over February break? The Killingworth Library is the place for everyone - from birds and snakes to turtles and you!

A Place Called Hope will present a live Birds of Prey show at the library on Monday, February 15 at 1 pm. Wildlife rehabilitators will share raptors and a segment on the environment. Kids as well as adults will learn about each species and what can be done to help protect and preserve our natural world. This Killingworth based non-profit organization runs entirely on donations of time and money. The library is asking participants to donate an item from the organization's "wish list" such as paper towels, heavy duty garbage bags, stamps, copy paper, bird seed, squirrel feed, deer feed, kitten food (dry kibble), unsweetened apple sauce, bleach, bags of play sand, or various medical supplies for injured birds, such as gauze, tape and vet-wrap. Thank you in advance!

Russ Miller of the Hammonasset Nature Center will bring native snakes, turtles, and terrapins to the library on Thursday, February 18 at 10:30 am. You won't want to missssssssssssss it!

HK Sports: In a rematch of the 2009 Shoreline Conference championship game, the HK Cougars traveled to Old Lyme on Monday evening to take on the Wildcats and the Cougars fell in a defensive battle, 37-27. HK held the senior laden Old Lyme squad to its lowest point total of the season and out rebounded the much taller Wildcats on both ends of the floor. However, the Cougars' own offensive shooting woes kept the game just out of reach. Junior Emily Anderson led the team with 11 points and 5 rebounds while senior captain Jordan Shultz had 6 points and 3 rebounds. Other top rebounders were junior Carley Mooney with 9 boards and 1 point, Sophomore Shaina Rowley with 7 rebounds and 4 points and junior Lauren Muise who pulled down 5 boards to go along with 3 points. Sophomore Cloe Savino went 2 for 3 from the line for 2 points. The Cougars will look to end the 5 game losing skid at Westbrook on Thursday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Write up and photo courtesy A & E Anderson

The Friends of Hammonasset is sponsoring the Bauer Lecture Series with co-host, St. Andrew's Church at 10:00am on four Saturdays in February at the Church on 232 Durham Rd. (Rt. 79) in Madison, Conn. Four walks will follow the morning talks at 1:00pm at different locations.

The first lecture will be held Saturday, Feb. 6th . The program is a Live Bird presentation at 10:00am by "A Place Called Hope" with Todd Secki and Christine Cummings-Secki followed by a guided bird walk at Hammonasset Beach State Park with guide, John Picard of the Menunkatuck Audubon at 1:00pm. Participants are to meet at Meigs Point Nature Center parking lot.

All the Bauer Lecture Series talks and walks programs are free and appropriate for all ages. Light refreshments will be served after the morning talks. Families are especially invited to attend. No dogs please, for the guided walks.

For additional information on the talks and walks, call Don Rankin at 203-245- 9192.
This year's Bauer Lecture Series celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the donation of the Bauer Farm to the town of Madison by Erwin Bauer. Photo courtesy John Picard

To the Editor:
The Anselmo Family would like to thank Mr. Lewis and his students for choosing CCFA as the benefactor of this year's holiday show. Thanks to Mr. Lewis, Mr. Kane, Mrs. Himmelman, Mrs. Webster, all of the dedicated students, the school administrators and teachers, and the Shoreline's Got Talent contestants for their dedication and hard work. Thank you to all of the schools in the district, Lenny and Joe's Fish Tale, and the entire community for your generous donations.

Sincerely,
Rick, Sue, Chris and Stephen Anselmo

The Killingworth Community Gardens will hold its 2010 start up meeting on Wednesday, January, 27th at 7:00 p.m. at the Firehouse meeting room on Route 81. Returning gardeners should plan to attend or send a representative. Discussion will include capital projects, plot assignment and new guidelines.

New gardeners interested in finding out more about the gardens are also welcome. Registration for 2010 plots will take place Saturday, March 6 at 9:00 a.m. at Parmelee Farm. New gardeners are assigned plots on a first come first serve basis. Returning gardeners in good standing have first choice of open plots. Fore more information visit our website or call Peg at 203.641.2341.

On Tuesday, February 9, 2010, the Killingworth Nursery School Association will sponsor a Kindergarten Readiness Program. A kindergarten teacher from the Killingworth Elementary School will speak about your child's full day at kindergarten to help parents determine if their child is ready to enter kindergarten. The meeting will take place at the Killingworth Nursery School, located on the lower level of the Congregational Church of Killingworth at 273 Route 81 at 7:00pm. This meeting is open to the public.

We are excited to introduce the inaugural season of the Haddam- Killingworth Youth Lacrosse program. Our program will join the fast growing youth lacrosse community and provide Haddam and Killingworth youths the opportunity to enjoy the exciting game of lacrosse.

The Haddam Killingworth youth lacrosse program is being established on principles set forth by our governing body USLacrosse (www.USLacrosse.org). These principles include equitable playing time, sportsmanship, respect and treatment of officials and opposing team players. Youths will learn the technical aspects of playing lacrosse, the tactical aspects of team play and the rules of the game. Youths will be taught to play in a safe manner with all appropriate protective equipment.

Our 2010 season will include boys from grades 1st through 8th. Girls teams are planned for 2011. For details on meeting times, locations, and costs, as well as information on the game of youth lacrosse, please visit our website at www.hkyouthlax.org. You may also email us at info@hkyouthlax.org with any questions that you may have or call 860-452-4163.

Tuesday: January 19:
• 14:51:34 Medical Call, Woodland Trail.
• 15:29:21 CO Alarm, Chestnut Hill Road.
Thursday: January 21:
• 17:50:40 Outside Fire, Rebecca Lane

Gerald "Jerry" A. Plante of Hainesport, NJ. passed away peacefully in his home, with his wife by his side, on January 10th, 2010.

Jerry was a devoted husband of Deborah Overman-Plante for 13 years. In addition to his wife Deborah, he is survived by his sons Jeffrey, Jason, and Jonathon, his daughter Marisa, his brother Jake and wife Marcia, nephew Tyler, and niece Sandy.

Born in Springfield, Massachusetts to Sadie and Alexander Plante, Jerry was a graduate of Lehigh University, with a master's degree in mathematics from the University of Connecticut. After his tour as a medic in Vietnam, he spent much of his life in Connecticut and Georgia, before moving to New Jersey in 2001.

After a 30 year career with Saab Cars USA, Jerry took early retirement in 2001 and went to work for Subaru. He currently was General Manager of Government Relations for Fuji Heavy Industries USA/Subaru of America. He was also the Chairman of the Government Affairs Committee of the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, an industry trade association, and a member of the New Jersey Safe Passage Task Force in Trenton.

Jerry was an active member of Maple Shade Congregational United Church of Christ and he was a dedicated volunteer with the Hainesport Emergency Squad most recently serving as 2nd Lieutenant.

A longtime social activist and a steadfast proponent of world peace, Jerry participated in several humanitarian missions, including working with people in Africa, Haiti, Cuba, Mississippi, and Vietnam.

Once known for his involvement in amateur sports car racing and for being an avid motorcyclist, Jerry's more recent favorite interests included hiking, reading and traveling. Jerry will be fondly remembered for his decency and integrity, as well as his enjoyment of the simple pleasures of life. Not only did he genuinely care for people, he loved to rescue cats in need and find them good, loving forever homes.

A celebration of his life will be held at the Maple Shade Congregational United Church of Christ on February 13th, 2010 at 1:30pm. Refer to www.jerry46.com for more information.

HK Sports: HKHS The HKHS Boys Swimming and Diving Team pulled together Friday to narrowly defeat Woodland Regional High School, 97 – 89. With some strategizing, Coach Ross Hanson switched up the swim lineup to ensure that Woodland’s strongest swimmers would get challenging races from HK. One of the closest competitions came from the Diving team. Reece Gesick and Woodland's top diver tied for first with Gesick scoring a personal best of 193.80. Diver Colin Gaffey edged out the next Woodland diver with a score of 130.00 for third place.

In swimming, HK out-touched Woodland in many close races. First places came from Ryan Buys in the 200 Freestyle (1:59.16) and the 500 Freestyle (5:20.61); Jamie Verney in the 50 Freestyle (25.15); Raymond Moore in the 100 Butterfly (1:02.56); Jeff Ludington in the 100 Freestyle (52.86) and the 100 Backstroke (58.48); and Ludington, Ryan Blewett, Buys, and Verney in the 200 Medley Relay (1:48.29). The last race, the 400 Freestyle relay, would dictate who would win the meet. The team of Moore, Verney, Buys, and Ludington did not disappoint placing first (3:38.54) and edging out Woodland for good.

HK meets Classical Magnet School at home next Tuesday at 4:00 PM. Write up and photo courtesy M. Hughes

On Friday night at the fieldhouse, the HKHS Boys Basketball team needed a win in the worst way. On a night where foul trouble limited the starters’ minutes, Coach Paul McCormick dug deep in to his bench and received a few amazing performances as the Cougars held Hale-Ray in a, 48-45, come from behind victory. While no player scored in double figures, the Cougars got 21 points from the bench, as sophomore Dan Kovach poured in a career high 9 points in his third game back from a wrist injury. Junior guard Brian Zak added 6 points off the pine, to the tune of two deep three point bombs.

However, the win would not have been a reality without the unsung play of senior captain Rob Flynn. Flynn, a defensive stopper, held Hale-Ray's top gun, JT Smith to only 7 points. Then when it mattered most, Flynn calmly stepped to the line and canned two free throws that sealed the game and sent the Cougar Den in to pandemonium. The Cougars have now improved to 3-8 on the season, with a non-conference clash with Stafford on the horizon.

The HKMS Girls Basketball team defeated Old Lyme easily on Thursday by a score of 42-17. The Cougars were up 26-4 at the half. Old Lyme struggled throughout the game but fought hard in the second half in a game which saw 16 Cougar substitutions. Scoring for the Cougars were Kiley Anderson with 9, Liz Anderson with 8, Maya Savino with 6, Lauren McCann and Maddy DeRita each with 4, Casey Jackson with 3, Erin Kane, Quinn Millard, Caroline Fortuna and Meghan Sepega each with a pair. The Cougars improve to 7-1, On Tuesday, January 26, HK travels to rival Eliot for a rematch of their only loss of the season to date. Write up and photo courtesy D. Savino

Kyle McCormick scored a career high 23 points, as the HKMS Boys Basketball remained perfect with a comfortable, 49-29, win over Old Lyme Thursday. Although it was not their most impressive victory, H-K was too much for a scrappy and much improved Old Lyme squad. In addition, McCormick's heroics would not have been possible without the ferocious and frenetic defensive of Ethan Kovach. Widely considered the best defender in the league, Kovach was all over the court at once, collecting an unbelievable 8 steals as well as numerous deflections as the point man on the press and zone defense. Also contributing to the victory was John Schuster, who added six crucial points while making his first career start. Johnny Abbott, Kenny Callahan, Luke Ford, Peter Welch, and Tommy DiMauro also played critical minutes as H-K moved to 8-0 and a showdown Tuesday afternoon at home against Eliot, Clinton, who gave H-K their closest game of the season.