Andrew Warde High School Reunion Calendar

Here is a quick look at the Andrew Warde High School reunion calendar:

The combined Class of 1958 from Andrew Warde and Roger Ludlowe high schools is planning a 50-year reunion September 26. It was the second graduating class from Warde, which opened in the Fall of 1956. For more information, visit their Web site at http://rogerludlowe-andrewwarde1958.org/ or click on the image below.

Members of the Andrew Warde High School Class of 1959 will celebrate their 50-year reunion next year and are seeking classmates. For details, contact Jane Sullivan Servadio at janerino@optonline.net or Darlene Devaux Bradley at 386-9122.

The AWHS Class of 1976 30-year reunion committee is planning a 50th birthday celebration. The event will take place Saturday, September 13, at Penfield Pavilion in Fairfield. Classmates are encouraged to donate prizes for a raffle. The event is BYOB, and snacks and light food will be provided. Contact Tony Procaccini at aprocaccini@juno.com.

Andrew Warde High School's Class of 1978 is holding its 30-year reunion this Summer. The event will take place Saturday, July 19, from 7 to 11 p.m. at Anthony's Ocean View, 450 Lighthouse Road in New Haven. Additional information may be found by visiting the official reunion Web site or by contacting Jay Sanza at jaysanza@sbcglobal.net. The class held informal reunions each of the last couple of years at Captain's Cove in Bridgeport.

Paul

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".

Andrew Warde High School's Football Pioneer, Fern Tetreau, Elected to FCIAC Hall of Fame

Fern Tetreau, the first football coach at Andrew Warde High School, was inducted into the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference Hall of Fame on Tuesday evening, June 10. Tetreau was recognized for his excellence in coaching, and the leadership he provided in organizing the FCIAC. The annual awards program took place at Testo's Banquet Hall, 1775 Madison Avenue, in Bridgeport.

Tetreau came over from Roger Ludlowe High School and became Andrew Warde High School's first football coach when the school opened in 1956. He immediately built the squad into a powerhouse. His 1959 undefeated Crimson Eagles won a state championship.

Although his first two years at Warde brought the expected growing pains and only two victories, Tetreau was building a solid program at the Melville Avenue high school. As hard as it may seem to believe, just three years after Andrew Warde High School opened, the Crimson Eagles won a state football championship! The 1959 team went undefeated in nine games, and even produced a future National Football League star.

One year later, Tetreau's gridders went 8-1. Their two-year cumulative record was 17-1. And this for a program which was just starting.

Tetreau had grown up with a deep affection for the sport, and much of his values today reflect the teamwork and dedication it takes to be a good football player. From playing in college to coaching and teaching physical education at Warde and Ludlowe, his love of the game has never waned. In fact, the nickname “Coach” is still with him today because of his reputation in the Fairfield football community.

Bob Anderson, a former housemaster at Warde who passed away a few years ago, played at Ludlowe and then at Warde. He wrote about Tetreau's 1959 team.

"Many Fairfield citizens recall the success of that team, with its tricky single wing T formation, using an unbalanced line, and a side-saddle blocking quarterback. The tailback had to be able to do everything. That threw off the defense through Fern's effective use of the draw, screen, and third down-11 quick kick." Six of the nine games that year Warde held the opponent scoreless.

The Warde football field was dedicated and named in honor of Fern Tetreau during halftime of the 2006 Thanksgiving Day game victory over Ludlowe. The game marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of Andrew Warde High School, and it was the first meeting between both Fairfield public high schools at Warde since Thanksgiving Day, 1984.

The photo above shows Fern, seated to the left in the dark raincoat, during the field dedication ceremony, Thanksgiving Day, 2006. Congratulations, Fern. The honor is well-deserved.

Paul

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".

Graduation Day an Unforgettable Milestone

Picture-perfect weather greeted the 274 graduates of Fairfield Warde High School this past Tuesday evening, June 17, during commencement exercises in the school courtyard. Yes, it's the same courtyard where our graduation from the same school took place some 32 years ago.

Graduation was arguably the most memorable event of our high school years. If my memory serves me correctly, we enjoyed sunny skies and mild temperatures on June 24, 1976, our last day at Andrew Warde High School. The adjacent insert is from graduation day in 1976.

What do you most remember about graduation day? The Bicentennial celebration stands out as the highlight of 1976 for this typist.

According to the 1976 Flame yearbook, "The Bicentennial has special significance for the 20th graduating class of Andrew Warde. Both the United States and the graduates of Warde have reached a certain point in their lives, perhaps even a certain goal.

"Yet, with the relief of a past well accomplished comes the apprehension of future possibilities. Graduates have the choice of college or work, or neither; what is common to all is that they are responsible for decisions they will have to live with. Like the United States, students should take a moment to pat themselves on the back and then continue forward."

The year 1976 brought unparalleled activity and excitement to Andrew Warde, Fairfield, and the United States as a whole. America's Bicentennial (like our high school graduation) was a one-time affair.

Andrew Warde also incorporated several special programs into the countless list of school activities in order to recognize the Bicentennial. A number of essay contests were sponsored, a Bicentennial committee, meeting each activity period, was formed, and the theme of the 1976 Flame was directed toward the Bicentennial.

Now, fast-forward 32 years later. Surrounded by his fellow students, family, friends and school faculty this past Tuesday, Fairfield Warde High School's Class of 2008 graduating senior Matthew Wittman, the class speaker, took time during his address to remind his peers that "all good things must come to an end." The following photos are from last Tuesday's commencement.

Although the incoming Tufts University freshman's words did not fall on deaf ears, they also did not prevent members of the graduating class from celebrating their final moments as high school seniors. Inflatable animals were tossed in the air, and bubbles could be seen floating from the sea of dark-robed students at various times during the graduation festivities.

Adding to the laid-back, festive atmosphere of the graduation, salutatorian Tommy Tea urged his classmates to "live, breathe, and seize every waking moment and remember to never, ever, be a tool."

Share your memories of graduation from Andrew Warde High School by clicking the "comments" link below.

Paul

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".

Success of Warde Girls' Track Traced to Early Years

Good timing for a track team has its members peaking at championship meet time.

Led by medal magnet Julia Arduini, who earned two first place finishes and a second, the Fairfield Warde girls' outdoor track team combined a series of personal and season bests for 55 points and a sixth-place finish at the FCIAC outdoor track championships in May.

Arduini significantly improved her seed marks in both the javelin and the shot put, tossing the javelin two feet, two inches past her seed mark of 130 feet and lofting the shot one foot, one inch past her 35-foot mark in that event.

"I wanted to get a further distance, but for some reason, my spin wasn't working out," Arduini said. "It was just frustrating because the girl who beat me was from Trumbull, and last year the same exact thing happened. I think I did very well overall, but it's also a little frustrating at the same time."

Similarly, 32 years ago, the Andrew Warde High School girls' track team placed fifth out of 11 teams at the regional meet held at Roger Ludlowe High School. Jackie Vines, Pam Angel, and the mile relay team advanced to compete in the division championships and performed admirably.

The Warde girls' track team had a very good season in 1976 by establishing many new school records. Jackie Vines threw 34 feet, seven-and-a-half inches in the shotput, and she cleared four feet, 10 inches in the high jump, earning two spots in the record book. Pam Angel broke the one-mile and two-mile records with times of 5:53 and 12:07.

Katie O'Connor, seen competing in the 100-yard dash in the photo above, set marks in the 80-yard hurdles and 100 yard dash, clocking 11.6 and 12:01, respectively. Peggy LeVino ran the 220 in 28.3 to lower that record, and she ran with Katie O'Connor, Liz Iida, and Katie Connelly to set the 880 relay record.

The 440 and mile relay teams also set records. In the 440 relay, Pam Allsop, Margaret Iida, Katie O'Connor, and Jackie Vines combined to run it in 54.02 seconds, while the mile relay team of Pam Angel, Donna Provolo, Jackie Vines, and Katie Connelly ran 4:22.5. That's Julie Francis in the photo above competing in the mile run.

Other records were set by Jorie Wright, with a throw of 98 feet in the discus, and Tina Nelson, going 14 feet, three inches in the long jump.

It's no surprise that this year's edition of the Warde girls' track team did so well. A solid foundation for the program was established over a generation ago.

Paul

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".

Woodworking Class Remains as Popular as Ever at Warde in Today's Modern World of Technology

Despite all the technological advances made in the classroom over the last 30 years, one constant remains the popularity of woodworking class. The handiwork of Fairfield Warde High School students, fashioned with skills dating to another era, will be showcased at the annual Open House hosted this Thursday evening, June 5, at 7 o'clock by John Kassay's woodworking classes.

Coffee tables and dining room tables with intricately designed legs and smooth surfaces that students have designed and built are among the projects that will be on display. Several students will show grandfather clocks they have crafted, while others are finishing full-size entertainment centers and a rocking bench in time for the exhibit.

During our senior year at Andrew Warde High School, the bicentennial celebration created a greater interest in colonial design. Courses in cabinet-making helped foster a spirit of the early colonial manufacturing techniques. The photo below shows Wyatt Whiteman (at left) and Joe McCormack (at right) finishing their wood shop projects in 1976.

According to the 1976 Flame yearbook, "Most of the classes operated at full capacity all year, indicating a renewed interest in applied technical education." Overall, the industrial arts program at Warde offered one of the widest selections of courses of any school in the area. Take a look at Danny Cody (at left) and Keith Balias (at right) below carefully placing their finished wood shop project in the car some 32 years ago.

Kassay said this year's program is supported by the Warde administration. "They recognize that the learning is hands-on and uses problem-solving, math and measurement. You really have to think about what you are doing," he said. Kassay said a lot of his students are not college-bound and instead plan to pursue woodworking as a career.

Senior John Petro is taking Kassay's courses as preparation for college studies as a construction management major. These students say the value of woodworking skills in the modern age is high, even if it seems a growing number of their peers show no interest. "Technology can only take you so far," said senior Shane Man. "There will always be a spot for hands-on workers."

His students have already taken advantage of the fact they have learned how to make repairs around the house, and realize that they can use these skills to save money in the future. Senior Julia Arduini, who built an Adirondack chair in the class, said, "It's good when you can go into a store and see a simple chair and then see how expensive it is and realize you can build it yourself."

Each year at the exhibit projects are judged by former colleagues of Kassay's from Seymour High School and given ribbons based on "quality, finish, construction and techniques." The exhibit usually attracts a good turnout of parents and teachers.

Did you take a woodworking class during your days at Andrew Warde High School? What do you most remember about it? Share your thoughts in the "comments" link below.

Paul

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".