Frisbee & Horticulture Clubs Just Some of the Activities Offered at Andrew Warde High School

I returned to Fairfield Warde High School with my younger son a few weeks ago for the Eighth-Grade Students and Parents Night, which was a welcoming session for next year's freshman class and their families. It was good to be back in the auditorium, and the school looks great.

Headmaster James Coyne greeted the parents and their somewhat-apprehensive middle school charges. He and the staff provided an overview of the curriculum, sports programs, activities, and clubs which are available to all the students. We were also given guided tours around the campus and visited many of the classrooms.

What really struck me was the wide variety of clubs --- both popular and obscure --- offered to the high schoolers. The Media Club immediately caught my eye. The students host a locally-produced television newscast a couple of mornings a week. Now that sounds like something I'd really enjoy. With the many different clubs featured in high school, there's no reason any student shouldn't be involved.



That got me thinking. What were some of the not-so-familiar clubs when we went to high school? After glancing through the Flame yearbook, it appears as though any type of interest was fair game for a Warde club.

Case in point: remember the Frisbee Club? The yearbook states, "Through much determination, a group of students turned a favorite American pastime into an Andrew Warde club. The Frisbee Club was formed at the beginning of the school year with its main objective being that the members enjoy themselves.

"Every activity period, this group would be in the courtyard throwing the saucer-shaped disc back and forth. The members learned skillful ways of throwing the frisbee, thus adding sport to the game. The club caused the frisbee craze to spread throughout the school so that by Spring everyone during their free time was throwing the frisbee."

If you had a green thumb, perhaps another first-year club during our senior year at Andrew Warde High School would have interested you. "The Horticulture Club, a newly formed organization, enjoyed much popularity during its first year. The members learned how to identify a wide variety of plants, while at the same time becoming green-thumbed experts in growing them.

"They also planned many projects which were followed through with considerable success. Their major project this year, for example, had the goal of celebrating the bicentennial. The club researched the agricultural products of colonial Americans, and then proceded to grow herbs of that period."

I'm sure that before long we'll be hearing about the iPod Club, the Nook e-reader Club, or the iTunes Club. Of course, none of those clubs would have been possible when we attended high school.

What clubs or activities were you involved in? I'd like to know. Just click on the "comments" tab below and share your thoughts with us.

Paul

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film."

Computer Dating First Introduced at Warde & Ludlowe 45 Years Ago This Month

Today's high school students are computer savvy. They routinely use computers to connect with one another, meet new classmates, or even arrange dates. Teenagers communicate instantly through texting, social networking Web sites, or by cell phone. Obviously, things were much different for those of us who grew up over a generation ago.

Believe it or not, computer technology was first introduced 45 years ago to match boys and girls who attended a fun-filled dance jointly organized by Andrew Warde and Roger Ludlowe highs schools. The "computer dating" service was a big hit with the students, according to a newspaper story which appeared Sunday, February 19, 1967.

The teens from both high schools filled out cards stating whether they thought they were beautiful or handsome, whether they most admired an all-American football player or a prize-winning novelist, or whether they preferred quiet or talkative dates.

The cards were processed by a computer in Boston, and teenagers were matched at the dance. According to the article, "The computer dance is the latest craze which is sweeping the country. American teenagers are using the computer to pick their ideal dates for a high school dance."

In addition to providing a high school dating service, Betty Tyler, author of the article in the Bridgeport Sunday Post, wrote, "Computers in the area are doing everything from preparing payrolls to printing report cards. Within a year, a bank teller will insert a card at her window and record the customer's acquired interest instantly. A computer in a hospital will schedule medication for a patient and ring a bell if it is not given at the proper time."

In fact, the author wrote that "within the very near future, every housewife and every office in the Bridgeport area will have access to a computer. The day is close at hand when the housewife will be able to insert a card in her telephone to order an item from a department store and the charge will be taken directly from her bank account."

Fast-forward 45 years. Betty Tyler's words were, indeed, prophetic. Now, we use computers for everything, including dating. In fact, you're reading this on the computer. But it must have been exciting for the Andrew Warde and Roger Ludlowe high school students who first used the computer to get matched with their dates in 1967. I'm sure they haven't forgotten about it, either.

Paul

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".

Andrew Warde's Girls Basketball Team Captured First FCIAC Title by Defeating Westhill Vikings, 62-49, in Norwalk 36 Years Ago Today in Norwalk

Andrew Warde High School's girls' basketball team captured the FCIAC championship 36 years ago today by defeating Westhill High School, 62-49, in Norwalk. Kathy Anderson, tournament MVP, led the Crimson Eagles to their 15th victory in 17 games by scoring 20 points, while Diane Dionis and Debbie Mendell had 12 points apiece to aid the Warde attack.

The Crimson Eagles led the entire way against the Western Division champions, marching to a 32-25 halftime lead. The Lady Vikings lost for only the third time in 17 outings. Warde advanced to the title game by defeating Western Division runner-up Stamford, courtesy of Anderson's 19 markers. Westhill moved into the finals by defeating Eastern Division runner-up Ludlowe.

The champions bolted out to a 12-9 lead after the first quarter before taking the seven point cushion into the intermission break. Warde outscored Westhill, 14-10, in the third quarter to increase its lead to 46-35 heading into the final frame. Warde won the final quarter, 16-14, to post the comfortable 13-point margin of victory.

With a new head coach, Miss Mary Beth McGirr, the girls got off to a slow start early in the season, but they staged a remarkable comeback to end up winning the league title. One of the reasons for the team's mid-season surge was the play of Anderson, a sophomore sensation. Her phenomenal improvement from the beginning of the season paralleled the improved play of the team as a whole.

By the end of the campaign, Anderson was habitually leading the team in points and rebounds every game. She earned All-FCIAC first-team honors, and she was named the MVP of the league tournament. But, Anderson wasn't the only reason the team won the coveted FCIAC championship.

The many other players who contributed much to the team's achievements included seniors Dionis, Mendell, who earned All-FCIAC second-team recognition, Gayle Johnson, and Marti Causey. The juniors included Kris Ness and Betsy Niesyn. The FCIAC championship game was played Friday evening, February 13, 1976, at Norwalk High School.

Paul

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".

Crimson Eagles Trounced Flying Tigers to Gain CIAC Playoff Berth on This Date in 1963

The Andrew Warde High School boys' basketball team trounced arch-rival Roger Ludlowe, 87-62, at the winners' gym 49 years ago this evening, Tuesday, February 5, 1963. It was the second game between the spirited Fairfield rivals that season. Warde also won the first contest, 71-48.

There were several highlights in the game. Warde co-captain Pete Jankovsky equaled Joe Magdon's school scoring record of 34 points; the Crimson Eagles climbed into a tie for second place with New Canaan in the FCIAC Eastern Division; Coach Don Feeley's cagers gained a berth in the CIAC tournament; Warde chalked up its tenth straight home court triumph; and the Eagles defeated the Tigers for the eighth time in a row.



Jankovsky and co-captain Bob Ryan combined for 12 points as Warde spurted into a 17-8 lead after the first period. Joel Blaskey topped the Tigers with six points.

The Crimson Eagles scored 21 points in the second quarter to take a commanding 38-25 halftime cushion. The second-quarter onslaught was led by Ryan (six points), Rusty Helgren (five), Jankovsky (four), Hank Gellert (four), and Wayne Gower (two), each having a hand in the scoring. Blaskey was the top scorer on offense for the Tigers with eight points, but he was limited to only two points in the second half.

Feeley's fast-breaking charges erupted for 45 points in the second half , netting 21 in the third period as Ryan hit for nine and Jankovsky added six. Ludlowe fought back gamely with 16 points, including six each by George Martin and Gary Klahr, but the Tigers trailed, 59-41, prior to the final eight-minute session.

The fourth quarter was all Jankovsky, as the senior tallied 16 points to equal the high mark established by Magdon in 1959 against Stamford Catholic.

Overall, Warde converted 21 of 27 foul shots, compared to 12 of 17 for Ludlowe.

The Crimson Eagles also won the junior varsity tilt, 46-44, as Jim Bodnar paced the winners with 19 points and Ray DeCormier tallied 18 for the Tigers.

Paul

Strong Allegiances to Warde & Ludlowe Added to Neighborhood Loyalty

Alumni and students of Andrew Warde and Roger Ludlowe high schools have always felt a strong allegiance to their schools. Even today, there is a tremendous rivalry between the students of Fairfield Warde and Fairfield Ludlowe high schools.

Any talk of redistricting or altering school boundaries has almost always been met with vigorous opposition from both sides, especially from the Ludlowe side of town. That was certainly the case 40 years ago, when a select group of loyal Ludlowe parents and students voiced their displeasure at potentially being redistricted to Warde.

In letters mailed to parents of about 125 students involved in a proposed boundary change from Roger Ludlowe to Andrew Warde, Dr. Joseph Zapytowski, superintendent of schools, announced that he would not recommend a high school boundary adjustment for the 1972-73 school year. An additional year or two of study was needed for any long-term recommendations, he said. That's according to a published story which appeared on this date, February 3, 1972.

The action was taken following a series of meetings with parents and the Board of Education during which strong objection was raised to changes which would have shifted some pupils from the Osborn Hill School, Holland Hill School, and Dwight School neighborhoods to Andrew Warde High School. Concerns were also voiced by parents about continuity of pupils from Tomlinson Junior High School to Ludlowe High School.

Dr. Zapytowski said that while attendance at Ludlowe was expected to be about 2,200 --- or 200 above the listed capacity --- the preliminary investigation suggested that the expanded Ludlowe would be able to handle the enrollment projected for the next year or two with minimal difficulty if course election patterns didn't shift dramatically.

"A year or two of experience with the new facilities should provide a more definitve conclusion regarding a reasonable operating capacity for Ludlowe and Warde," Zapytowski said. He said the concern about continuity from junior high to high school would be considered during the expansion of junior high facilities.

"Recent trends, Zapytowski added, "now lead us to the conclusion that our earlier estimate of 4,200 pupils as a maximum high school enrollment in this decade will probably prove to be conservative.

"We already foresee about 4,300 pupils in the years from 1975-76 through 1977-78, and almost 2,200 of them will be at Ludlowe. There are also some unpredictable factors which are not part of our normal projections, and most of these could lead to even higher enrollments, especially at Ludlowe."

The superintendent added that, after long and detailed analysis, it was determied that adding two houses to Warde and one house to Ludlowe would be the least costly way to provide room for about 1,000 high school pupils beyond existing capacity. The high school building committee was asked to expand Ludlowe to a capacity of 2,000 and Warde to 2,200 pupils.

"A more precise determination of capacity can best be made a few years after the new facilities have been in use," he mentioned. Dr. Zapytowski also said that transportation needs and costs, problems of family inconvenience, recent trends in course selection by high school students, junior high school enrollment, and the potential for new housing in areas considered for boundary change were studied.

This writer attended Osborn Hill School and Andrew Warde High School many years ago. Today, however, the boundary lines have been altered. Children attending Osborn Hill School will eventually move into Ludlowe High School, which my son attends. Here is the current high school boundary map for Fairfield.

If a boundary change was proposed today, I'm all but sure the Osborn Hill School parents would not want their children redistricted to Warde. I have always felt the Ludlowe parents, students, and alumni to be elitist, and that seemingly hasn't changed at all over the last 40 years.

Paul