Andrew Warde High School Song Written in 1959 & Sung by Joan Grapski of the Class of 1963

I published this entry before, but it's been a few years. How many of you are familiar with the Andrew Warde High School song? Quite frankly, I didn't even know there was one. However, Joan Grapski of the Class of 1963 was kind enough to forward the lyrics to me. Joan also provided a video of her singing the school song. I hope you enjoy it. Her class is holding its 50-year reunion this year.

Here are the lyrics of the Andrew Warde High School song, written by the Class of 1959:

With heads held high and voices strong
To you our thanks we raise.
For knowledge, guidance, and for love
All through our high school days.

For the many friends we've made here
Who will last our lifetime through,
Andrew Warde,
We find ourselves indebted to you.

And so be sure, dear Andrew Warde,
When long from you we've gone,
The memories of these happy years
Will ever linger on.

Paul

Glenn Mackno Selected as Connecticut PTSA Middle School Principal of the Year

Glenn Mackno was one of the standouts on Andrew Warde High School's FCIAC Eastern Division boys' basketball championship squad in 1972-73. He teamed with Dave Schulz, Mike Abraham, Ron DelBianco, and Phil Ness to lead the Crimson Eagles to one of their most successful seasons on the hardcourt.

However, Mackno, pictured at the left from the 1971 Flame yearbook, is making a name for himself today as one of the most well-respected principals in Connecticut. The 1973 Warde graduate has been the principal at Roger Ludlowe Middle School in Fairfield since it opened in the late 1990s.

Mackno was selected by the Connecticut PTSA election committee as the Middle School Principal of the Year for 2012-2013. The Connecticut PTSA annually gives local PTAs the opportunity to nominate administrators for the Outstanding Principal award and, this year, the RLMS PTSA nominated him for the middle school principal award.

An awards dinner will take place April 25th. If you are interested in attending the dinner, please contact Laura Bernaschina at lamb5@optonline.net. Click here for a printable registration form. The RLMS PTSA will coordinate the registrations and submit all forms to the Connecticut PTSA. It will be great night to honor Glenn Mackno, pictured above right, for all the wonderful things he has done for Roger Ludlowe Middle School.

Paul

Andrew Warde High School's Class of 1968 to Hold 45-Year Reunion This Year

Andrew Warde High School's Class of 1968 will hold its 45-year reunion this year. That's the word from Donna Green, a member of the Class of '68 and current secretary to headmaster James Coyne at Fairfield Warde High School. The reunion will take place Saturday, July 27, 2013, at Tashua Knolls Restaurant, 45 Tashua Knolls Lane, Trumbull.

The cost is $45 and includes antipasto, pasta salad, hot hor d'oeuvres passed butler style, a pasta station featuring penne a la vodka and shrimp scampi, carving station featuring filet mignon and roasted turkey, coffee, and dessert. Please RSVP by July 1. Please make checks payable to Jacquelyn Skultety, 415 Goldenrod Avenue, Bridgeport, CT, 06606.

If there is enough interest, a golf tournament for classmates will take place Saturday afternoon at the Tashua Glen nine-hole golf course. The $28 fee includes a cart. If interested, contact Diane Fekete Vieira at DI4850@aol.com.

Paul

"Coach" Ed Bengermino to be Inducted into FCIAC Hall of Fame June 11 in Norwalk

Ed Bengermino, arguably the greatest coach in the history of Andrew Warde High School, will be among several inductees into the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference Hall of Fame June 11 at Chatham Manor in Norwalk.

"I was obviously honored to be even considered," Bengermino told me today. "It is the greatest honor as far as coaching is concerned." The former coach, athletic director, and teacher will be inducted along with longtime New Canaan High School football coach Lou Marinelli and Trinity Catholic High School basketball coach Mike Walsh.

Bengermino, who was an integral part of the fabric of Andrew Warde, Fairfield, and Fairfield Warde high schools from 1970 through 2005, said his most memorable game was the Crimson Eagles' 1981 state baseball championship. "That night was probably the biggest memory I have," he admitted. "That particular night was the best."

Andrew Warde edged Rockville, 9-8, in 13 innings for its first state baseball championship that year. The game, which was played at Quigley Stadium in West Haven, took four hours and 50 minutes to play. What made the game memorable was the dramatic finish for Warde, which entered the ninth inning trailing, 8-5.

However, Greg Cantwell's two-run triple closed the gap to one run, and Cantwell stole home with two outs and two strikes to tie the game and send it into extra innings. Take a look at this vintage sports report from channel 8 in New Haven.



The Eagles ultimately won the game in the 13th inning at 12:20 the following morning at Quigley Stadium in West Haven. Cantwell stole third base and scored when the errant throw sailed into left field. The ballpark was home to the Double-A West Haven Yankees at the time, adding luster to the scholastic championship. 

One year later, the Eagles advanced to the state championship game again, only to fall to North Haven at Penders Field in Stratford. Warde came within one victory of claiming back-to-back state baseball championships.

Bengermino said the 1972-73 Warde basketball team was special for a number of reasons. "That particular year we opened up the new gym," he said. "We had some tremendous games in that gym that year against Staples, Ludlowe, and McMahon."

The team included Dave Schulz, Glenn Mackno, and Mike Abraham (pictured left-to-right below along with Bengermino, second from right). The team also featured stars Ron DelBianco and Phil Ness.

Bengermino still sees several of the players on that team regularly. "All those guys are a part of Fairfield," he said. Abraham (below left) is the coordinator of Adapted Physical Education in the special education program for the Fairfield public schools, Schulz (with the basketball) is the athletic director at Fairfield Ludlowe High School, and Mackno (below right) is the principal of Roger Ludlowe Middle School.

Bengermino was also a successful volletball coach at Warde and perenially led his Crimson Eagles to the league title and state championship game. His favorite squad featured senior Kathy Anderson, who led the team to an undefeated season and berth in the state championship match which the Eagles lost to Maloney. He is a member of the Connecticut Women's Volleyball Hall of Fame.

Currently, Bengermino is the site director at Warde in the Spring, and he subs at both Warde and Ludlowe in all academic areas. "It keeps me busy," he joked. "I need something to keep me going. The subbing and site director (position) are perfect for me."

Congratulations, Coach Bengermino.

Paul

Warde Students Took Advantage of 'Snow Day' by Sculpting Snow Bunny

One of the snowiest March days on record in Fairfield happened 46 years ago today, Wednesday, March 22, 1967, when 11.1" of snow fell. Two students at Andrew Warde High School took advantage of the unusual March Winter weather by making a snow bunny.

This photograph graced the second page of The Bridgeport Post, Friday, March 24, 1967. Click the photo for a larger view.

According to the caption, "The Easter bunny, usually soft and cuddly, gets a new twist here from two Andrew Warde High School students who took advantage of the abundant snow to make a sculpture which is expected to slide, not hop, down the bunny trail Sunday.

"Gail and Robert Contolini, a senior and junior at the Fairfield school, designed thr snowy mass, which is on display on the Warde grounds. The artists and their sister, Nancy, who helped in the project, live at 114 Rosedale Street, Fairfield."

Although I'm not certain, the Nancy Contolini mentioned in the article may have been my homeroom teacher in WS-11 in the 1970s.

Paul

John Kassay Still at Home 'Building Solid Citizens' as Woodshop Teacher at Fairfield Warde High School

Nearly 40 years after graduating from Andrew Warde High School, John Kassay still spends his "school days" at the Melville Avenue campus. The 1974 Warde product teaches wordworking and calls the experience "awesome."

"I always thought it would be awesome to teach at my old high school," Kassay told me during an interview in his expansive classroom yesterday afternoon. "I wouldn't be where I am today if Fairfield wasn't the comprehensive high school that it was. We had those options --- graphics, mechanics, woodworking."

Kassay, who graduated from Central Connecticut State College in 1978 with a degree in Industrial Arts Education, began his teaching career at Seymour High School in the Fall of that same year. He eventually bought a piece of property in the valley city from a co-worker at Seymour High School, built a home, and has lived there since 1988. 

Kassay taught at Seymour High School until 1985, when he accepted a position at Andrew Warde High School. He remained at the Melville Avenue campus when Warde and Ludlowe merged into Fairfield High School in 1988. That's when he met his wife, the former Patty Kural, who was an interim headmaster during the consolidation. She also was a physical education teacher, intramural coach, and diving and gymnastics coach. 

However, he was a victim of the consolidation and his position was eliminated in 1990. For the next eight years, Kassay played Mr. Mom to his three children. He returned as a part-time teacher in 1999 and accepted a full-time position in 2001. Since then, he's been doing what he loves every day. 

Kassay said teaching at his high school brings back "a lot of memories. I think of all the teachers that I had, some of whom are still here. But, I just have a good time being in the building that I was once in, roaming the halls, and seeing the different changes," he admitted.

"My best memories were my shop classes, my Industrial Arts classes," admitted Kassay when asked what he most fondly recalls about his days at Andrew Warde High School. "I loved wordworking, I loved auto mechanics, I loved the graphic arts, and we had electricity, and, of course, phys ed. Those were my best." 

He stays in touch with many of his former classmates, too. "I see a lot of my close friends that I graduated with and played softball for many, many years with. In fact, one of my friends lives up in Seymour where I live, and we get together," added Kassay, who attended Holland Hill, McKinley, and Fairfield Woods Junior High School as a child.

Kassay, who proudly showed newspaper clippings and woodworking projects of his students, reminisced about several role models he had when he attended Warde in the early 1970s. "Mr. Bednarik was a big influence for me, Mr. Donovan was a big influence, (and) probably in the Industrial Arts area, Mr. Trifone. 

"Mr. Keish, who I had at McKinley School and who ended up living a couple blocks away from me, (was a) fantastic man," he continued. Ed Donovan was Kassay's homeroom teacher in S9 during freshman year and in FH26 the next three years after the Fitts wing was built.

Kassay, who will celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary this year, said he and his wife have taken advantage of their teaching schedule by traveling. "We've spent our Summers camping across the country," he told me. "My kids have been in 50 or 60 national parks. We've been in all the states. That is probably the highlight of my life.

"It's been a great thing for the kids," he continued. "They've used it for scholarships. I owe that to the fact that both my wife and I were teachers, and we had Summers off." 

Here's hoping John Kassay continues a successful career for many more years.

Paul

AWHS Girls' Athletic Association Sponsored a Basketball Play Day 55 Years Ago

Through the combined efforts of many energetic students and their faculty advisors, Miss Helen Carroll and Miss Mary Carley, the Andrew Warde High School Girls' Athletic Association sponsored a basketball playday in March of 1958. That's according to a story which appeared in the Bridgeport Post 55 years ago this week.

Girls from six high schools, including Warde, Roger Ludlowe, Central, Bassick, Harding, and Bullard Havens Tech, participated in the successful event. The purpose of the program was to promote inter-school relationships by giving students an opportunity to meet one another.

The playday was completely organized by the students. The program publicity committee, largely responsible for preparing the event, was headed by Sue Smith. Others included Michele Sullivan, Ann Plunske, Marcia Tierney, Eli Kiamos, and Debbie Kinsman.

Eight sports enthusiasts from each school were greeted by the president of the Girls' Athletic League, Bonnie MacGregor. The girls were divided into eight teams --- the Eagles, Tigers, Lions, Presidents, Foxes, Owls, Zebras, and Knights. Each participant received a program, which listed the scheduled games and identifying emblems.

The Girls' Athletic Association, which sponsored a basketball clinic the previous December, was an active group. A basketball playday was held in February of 1957, too. The GAA regulated all girls athletic points given at Warde, and the executive committee elected The Most Outstanding Girl Athlete each year.

Paul

AWHS Class of 1983 Planning 30-Year Reunion

The Andrew Warde High School Class of 1983 is planning its 30-year reunion. The event is planned for Saturday, October 12, 2013, at the Gaelic-American Club, 74 Beach Road, in Fairfield. For more information, click the image above to access the class Web site.

Paul

Crimson Eagles Dropped Heartbreaker to SCHS in CIAC Boys Basketball Tournament Game 46 Years Ago Today

Andrew Warde High School's boys' basketball team dropped a 59-57 decision to Stamford Catholic in the CIAC Class L basketball tournament at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk 46 years ago today.

Mark Kluytenaar, with ice water in his veins, converted all six of his free throws in the last three minutes to give the Crusaders the spine-tingling two-point victory over the Crimson Eagles. It was the third straight win for SCHS over its fellow FCIAC rivals.

Warde trailed, 47-40, early in the fourth quarter before Jim Howard canned nine of his team's next 11 points during an 11-4 run to pull the Eagles into a 51-51 tie before Kluytenaar's heroics on Wednesday evening, March 8, 1967.

Faced with a pressure-packed one-and-one situation at the foul line, the calm Kluytenaar, who averaged only 5.8 points per game during the regular season, sank both charity tosses to give the winners a 53-51 advantage.

Dick Redmond added a subsequent basket for the Crusaders to increase the lead to 55-51. Rich Fekete answered with a hoop for Warde to cut the deficit to two points. However, Kluytenaar, the six-foot junior, canned another pair of free throws to make it 57-53 before Fekete answered with another bucket for the Eagles.

Warde's Tom DeLuca picked up his fifth foul with 42 seconds left in the game. Kluytenarr buried two more shots from the foul line to increase the SCHS lead to 59-55. Warde's final basket came on a Howard layup as the final buzzer sounded.

Coach Wes Aldrich's Crimson Eagles finished with a 14-6 overall record, while Stamford Catholic improved to 13-8.

Kluytenaar led all scorers with 25 markers. Larry Jost (14 points) was the only other Crusader to finish in double figures for Coach Lenny Rivers. Fekete (21), Howard (18), and Danny Haines (11) paced the Crimson Eagles' attack.

Paul

'Know Your Principals' Featured on Front Page of Crimson Crier 37 Years Ago This Week

Let's take a trip back 37 years this week and see what was making front-page news from the Crimson Crier, Andrew Warde High School's student newspaper, March 5, 1976:

"This year we have two new people to run Andrew Warde. Most of us have heard of them, but how many of us have met them? Not many of us have, and for the purpose of giving them a formal introduction, the Crier hails Mr. Shine and Mr. Genualdi.

"Mr. Robert Shine was born in New Haven in 1944. He went to a private high school and, as the fifth of seven college-bound brothers and sisters, he was expected to go to college. He did so at Fairfield University. For four years he studied history and, finding school to his liking, he stayed on to get an M.A. in education. It was while he was at the university as a practice teacher that Mr. Shine got 'turned on to teaching.'"

If you'd like to read more about Mr. Shine and peruse the entire copy of the March 5, 1976, edition of the Crimson Crier, simply click the link at the beginning of the article or the cartoon above.

Paul