The Newtown Bee welcomes Noelle Veillette to the team this week. She’s a Newtown High School graduate who just graduated from Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) with a focus on English literature and international studies. Residents may also know her because she teaches piano in the Inspiring School of Music at Edmond Town Hall and she is an EMT with Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps. She grew up in town, and when she is not working, Noelle enjoys reading and being involved in the arts, like music and drawing. She will be training with us for the next four weeks before fully helping. She will have a number of responsibilities as a member of our editorial staff, including assisting with assignments on the Education beat. I'm sure she will have no trouble drawing answers out of everyone she interviews! Welcome to the team Noelle!

There are a few ways to recycle Christmas trees locally this year. One is to visit the Deep Brook kiosk (Old Farm Road, beyond Newtown Park & Bark) on Saturday, January 7, between 9 am and 1 pm. Volunteers with Candlewood Valley Trout Unlimited and Pootatuck Watershed Association will collect trees and then ecocycle them, utilizing them in their stream bank stabilization projects in 2023. These trees will help reduce erosion and create refuge habitat for juvenile trout and other aquatic life. Suggested donation is $10 and additional details can be found at cvtu.org.

A second option is to support Boy Scout Troop 270 through their annual Christmas Trees Pick-Up fundraiser. Members of Newtown’s oldest Boy Scout troop are conducting an annual fundraiser this month. Members of Boy Scout Troop 270 will pick up Christmas trees from Newtown residences this weekend and the next two, in exchange for a donation. One-third of the trees will be given to Candlewood Valley Trout Unlimited, who uses the trees to line the banks of local streams to stabilize the banks and prevent erosion. The balance of the trees are chipped at the Newtown Transfer Station to provide free mulch to town residents. The Scouts benefit from the donations from those who have them pick up their trees because the funds can be used for Scouting events such as summer camp tuition, fees for leadership training, high adventure trips, and more. To schedule a pick-up, visit troop270newtownct.org and click on Donate/Shop.

I also noted on Abbotts Hill Farm & Rescue’s Instagram account that it is accepting donations of evergreen trees. “Our goats, sheep, and piggies love pine trees,” the announcement reads. The farm is located at 5 Abbotts Hill Road and donations can be dropped off at the bottom of the driveway near its farm stand and a rock wall.

With the school district’s winter break over (and I hope every student, educator, and community member had a great and relaxing break), our Sports Editor Andy Hutchison will be back in the swing of sports action again soon. Make sure to turn to the sports section this week to read about Newtown High School’s wrestling team’s strong showings on the mats in a pair of early-season tournaments, including winning the Nighthawk Invitation Duals.

Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company has been selected as a beneficiary of the Big Y Community Bag Program for the month of January. The program, launched in January 2019, is a reusable bag program that facilitates community support with the goal to make a difference in the communities where shoppers live and work. Sandy Hook Fire & Rescue will receive a $1 donation every time the $2.50 reusable Community Bag is purchased at the Big Y World Class Market at 6 Queen Street until January 31, unless otherwise directed by the customer through the Giving Tag attached to the bag.

Get out your Bingo daubers, it’s that time again! The first session of St Rose HSA Friday Night Bingo is planned for Friday, January 13, in the Monsignor Weiss Gathering Hall of St Rose of Lima School. Doors will open at 5:45, game sales begin at 6, and then games will run from 6:30 until 9:30 pm. All ages are welcome for the family-friendly event. Cost is $20 per person, which covers all regular games. Raffle prizes are awarded during intermission, and cash prizes follow each game. Reservations are not needed but additional information is available by calling the school’s administrative office, 203-426-5102.

If you haven't picked up your copy of this year’s The Newtown Bee calendar you may not know that it is now 2023. Welcome to 2023! And if this came as a shock to you, don't worry. Calendars are still available at our office, 5 Church Hill Road, during office hours, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, while they last. Swing by and grab one while you still can.

If your New Year’s resolution is to declutter, C.H. Booth Library can help. The library announced in an email this week that it has a virtual author talk presentation set for January 17 at 2 pm with author Dana K. White, who wrote Decluttering at the Speed of Life and Organizing for the Rest of Us. An announcement for the event reads, “While the world seems to be in love with the idea of tiny houses and minimalism, many of us simply can’t purge it all and start from nothing. Yet, a home with too much stuff is difficult to maintain, so where do we begin? Add in paralyzing emotional attachments and constant life challenges, and it can feel almost impossible to make real decluttering progress. If the thought of decluttering overwhelms you, decluttering expert and bestselling author Dana White’s humor and practical, reality-based tips will give you exactly what you need to start making an impact on your space. In this deep-dive webinar, Dana will share actionable mindset shifts that will free you to make fast decluttering progress using minimal emotional energy. In addition, she offers sustainable ideas to simplify and manage your home and will teach you how to make great strides with minimal effort in every room of your home.” Register for the event online at libraryc.org/chboothlibrary/upcoming. Curious about other programs at the library? Library staff members highlight some of their picks in Library Notes, a weekly column within these pages. You'll find the column on page B-7 this week.

If your New Year’s resolution was simply to make someone happy, I can help with that. All you have to do is promise next week to ... Read me again.