Donna Green always looks forward to the start of another school year. Even though it's been 40 years since she graduated from Andrew Warde High School, Green will be at the Melville Avenue campus this week to welcome back the staff and students.That's because she's been working at her alma mater for 13 years, serving as the headmaster's secretary the last three years. The position is a perfect fit for the lifelong Fairfield resident.
"It is very special," said Green when asked how she feels about working at the same high school which she attended in the mid 1960s. "To be back at the school I graduated from is special." Green began working as the bookkeeper for former headmaster John Dodig for 10 years before moving into her current position as secretary for headmaster James Coyne.
Are there any similarities from her days at Warde? "I think the teachers are just as good and just as nice as when I was there," she pointed out. "They are very helpful, and they go out of their way for the kids. They are involved in a lot of extra curricular activities."
As for any differences at the school over the last 40 years, "The kids are more independent because they have cars," she admitted. "A lot of them work. We didn't have cars, and most of us didn't work after school. The kids are a lot different," said Green, who still lives in Fairfield and attended Osborn Hill School and Fairfield Woods Junior High School before moving over to Andrew Warde High School. "The kids are more savvy. I don't know why."
Another glaring difference is the change in the school's mascot, from the Crimson Eagle to the Mustang. Is that a problem for Green? "No, that's not an issue at all," she said. In addition, there isn't anybody left at Warde from her days as a student. "There were a couple of teachers that were there when I was there, but they went over to (Fairfield) Ludlowe (High School). John Honey is one of them."
Opening day for freshman is this Wednesday, August 27. The entire student body reports the following day, Thursday, August 28. Green is one of five people who works year-round at Warde, but she is excited about the start of another school year and the opportunity to welcome the students back.
"It's kind of fun," added Green, who still hasn't decided whether to attend her 40-year reunion yet. Good luck, Donna. Here's hoping that you, the staff, and the entire student body have an outstanding year.
Paul
Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.
Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.
Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".
Bengermino said that the players need to be reminded of all the positives they can take from the season. "(Tell them) you have nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to be disappointed about," he said. "You've been winners. The sun's going to come up tomorrow, and for the rest of your lives you are going to remember what you accomplished.
Bengermino still considers that 1982 team, which featured many returnees from the previous year's state championship squad, the best one he ever coached. That Crimson Eagle squad advanced to the state championship game, but fell to North Haven at Penders Field in Stratford. "I told them, 'You have blue blood in you. You've been to the big games, won the big games, and you have a chance to do it again.' They couldn't wait to experience it again. They had that blue blood in them. That was the championship blood."
Szymansky, who celebrated his 50th birthday today, credited his team for handling all the pressure of being on national television and playing before a crowd of over 12,000 people. "There's a lot of pressure on these kids, the crowd, all the press, and stuff," he acknowledged. "They're up there pressing. They're trying hard to impress."
Ed Szymansky, one of our former classmates at Andrew Warde High School, will lead his charges against Citrus Park, Tampa, Florida, Monday evening at 6 o'clock on ESPN2 in the final game of pool play. The top two teams from the pool move into the quarterfinals which begin Wednesday.
"I can't ever remember him being in a bad mood," DeLaurentis remembered. However, that may not have been the case following yesterday's 3-1 loss to Waipio, Hawaii, in the first game of the series in front of 5,700 fans at Volunteer Stadium.
So, what was Szymansky like during his days at Andrew Warde High School? "Eddie, Mark Vida, Brett Peters, and I were inseparable (during our) senior year," said DeLaurentis. "We had a great time. Our favorite sport was frisbee."
"I'm having a blast, just having a blast," admitted Szymansky, whose 12-year-old son, Jake, plays leftfield, hit two home runs, and had three RBI in Bristol last week. "It's like being in Little League heaven here. There's nothing better for these kids. This will probably be the highlight of their lives unless they make the majors, you know?"
The New England Regional champions play their first game this evening against Waipio, Hawaii, at 6:30 at Volunteer Stadium. The game will be nationally televised by ESPN2. Good luck, Ed, Jake, and the entire team. You have the people of Connecticut and the alumni of Andrew Warde High School behind you. 
The club members created food baskets for the needy at Thanksgiving, staged a Halloween party for people with special needs, held a bagel sale after school, and hosted the annual Crimson Cotillion. The Key Club helped its members become aware of the many needs of the community.
The Keyettes was a service organization offered to the girls at Warde. Carol Ann Wetmore was president during our senior year. They served the community and the school. Some of their activities included a button sale, typing for teachers on a regular basis, planning a Halloween party for people with special needs, and the evaluating of all the clubs at Warde.