Karissa Niehoff, a health teacher at Litchfield High School, was honored this month by a New England publication as a 1993-94 Educator of the Year.
“It’s a mixture of surprise and flattery,” Niehoff said. “It’s every good teacher’s dream to affect students in some way so they take something with them. That’s why I became a teacher and it’s amazing to see that you’ve really done that. When a student comes back to you, it makes everything worthwhile.”
Niehoff was nominated by Joseph Derosier, a freshman at the school, who submitted an essay to “The 21st Century,” a monthly publication written by teens for teens.
In February, the publishers of the paper asked high school students to submit an essay nominating an educator who made a lasting impact on their lives or the life of the school and community.
Overall, 14 educators were recognized, each receiving $250.
“Ms. Niehoff is one of the few teachers I’ve met whose energy is actually contagious, and who fires up her students with an eagerness to learn,” Derosier wrote. “She is not only my favorite teacher because of what she does, but because of who she is.
“She is an open-minded, caring, easygoing person whose door is always open to anyone who wants to talk or just hang out,” he wrote. “She deserves the respect for what she does because she cares for her students and her students care for her.”
Niehoff and Derosier traveled to Boston this month to receive the award at a reception hosted by former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. “The 21st Century” distributes about 120,000 free copies every month to public and private schools in New England.
The Hitchcock Factory Store will have its grand reopening starting Memorial Day weekend.
The entire second floor of the building, where Lambert Hitchcock started his company in 1846, has been completely renovated, giving the store 30,000 square feet of retail display.
The store in New Hartford is now one of the largest furniture showrooms in the state.
Margaret L. Barker of Goshen has received the All-American Vocational Student Award from Servistar Corp.
Barker, a senior at Oliver Wolcott Regional Vocational Technical School, was also chosen as one of the 12 special-merit students in the national competition. Participants were judged on honors and awards, school and community activities, and future educational goals.
The company honors one student in each of the 50 states with a $500 U.S. savings bond, and then chooses 10 All-American winners and 12 special-merit students nationally.
The annual cleanup along the entire 149-mile length of the Housatonic River is being expanded and the Housatonic Valley Association is looking for new groups interested in cleaning a stream or tributary in their town.
Last year, 1,500 people joined the cleanup, removing 140 tons of garbage and debris from the banks and the river water. Each group will organize the cleanup on their local stretch of the Housatonic River for the Sept. 17 event.
Other groups or individuals who want to participate can call 1-800- TEAM-HVA, or 672-6678.
A wing at a new clinicfor uninsured and underinsured children in the Torrington area was dedicated this month by Zena Temkin, her husband Isadore Temkin and their children in memory of the late Abraham Temkin and Isadore Garbus.
The Temkin gift included construction, furnishings, medical equipment, instruments and an X- ray unit.
The Maria Seymour Brooker Memorial Inc., on Litchfield Street, offers no-cost and low-cost health services, including health screening and parenting classes. The clinic opened in April.
The American Red Cross is looking for crafters to showcase during the fourth annual Norfolk Arts & Crafts Festival, scheduled for July 31.
The registration fee for a 12-by- 12-foot booth is $35 before June 1 and $40 after June 1. Space is limited to 80 crafters.
For more information, call 379- 5492.
