Date: Fri 28-Feb-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

schools-Mentorship-McEvoy

Full Text:

Mentor Partnerships Celebrated

B Y D OROTHY E VANS

Doctor, lawyer, merchant, chief?

Editor, composer, communicator, graphic artist, computer technologist?

The above list of career possibilities might not be as catchy as the familiar

nursery rhyme, but it's more timely - accurately reflecting the diverse

choices made this past semester by 16 Newtown High School seniors who were

enrolled in the school's Honors Mentorship Program.

The program, directed by Jane McEvoy and teacher John Vouros, is in its third

year and continues to produce exciting results for Newtown's most academically

gifted students.

By participating in the career shadowing program and moving beyond classroom

walls, the Newtown students were given a foretaste of work life in their

chosen fields.

More importantly, they gained immeasurable insights through their

relationships with skilled professionals, or mentors, in the greater Danbury

and New Haven area, who volunteered to guide and counsel them in their field

of study.

"I feel truly fortunate," said Michelle Haghpanah, who spent this past

semester working with pediatrician Claire Free in Dr Free's Brookfield office.

Michelle not only learned what an infected ear looked like, she tackled the

problem of obesity in children and was able to develop a series of helpful and

practical recommendations concerning diet, exercise and lifestyle.

"Dr Free adopted this diet for her office - something I'm really grateful and

proud about," Michelle told her audience Monday night.

It was the first of two open houses held this week in the school library for

the mentorship students and their families, and proved an excellent

opportunity for the students to publicly thank and honor their mentors.

After working together for several months, it was obvious that both parties

had gained from the experience.

Jack Lynch, director of corporate communications and public relations for QSP,

Inc, a subsidiary of Reader's Digest, summarized the feeling of mutual respect

as he stepped forward to receive a plaque from Laura McClure. Laura had been

working on his QSP editorial staff out of its Ridgefield office, writing

articles for In Focus, the employee newsletter.

"Somehow, as I was working with Laura, I had the strong sense that sometime in

the near future, I would be reporting to her!" Mr Lynch said.

Students And Mentors

Working Together

Max Bajracharya worked in the field of electronic design with John Pfeifer,

president of the Electronic Design Lab in Redding. His project was titled

"Closed Loop Servo-Systems."

Evelyn Chen chose to study the field of environmental law, writing a treatise

"Government for the People, By the People." Her mentor was Lisa Santacroce,

director of environmental affairs for the Connecticut Audubon Society.

Sarah Halper worked in the Newtown public relations and advertising firm of

Goodwick Associates, Inc, concentrating on advertising and writing a study

titled "Creative Marketing Tools for School to Career." Her mentor was David

Goodwick, president of the company.

Christine Leja studied child psychology with a concentration on how children

of divorced families adjust to changes in their lives. Working with Dr Mary

Sink, a psychologist with Assessment and Consulting Associates, Christine's

report was titled, "Families of the Future: A Study of Blended Families."

Michelle Haghpanah worked with Dr Claire Free in pediatric medicine and

completed a study "Children Dealing with Obesity."

Laura McClure chose the field of communications, working in an editorial

position with Jack Lynch, director of corporate communications and public

relations for QSP, Inc, a subsidiary of Reader's Digest.

Kelly Tschantz spent a semester in the operating theater of surgeon Philip

Kotch of Surgical Associates of Western Connecticut, and concluded by writing

a paper, "Surgery and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms."

Christopher Bassett studied music composition with Yale University professor

Thomas Duffy, completing an original work titled "The Portrayal of Emotions

and Scenes Through Music/Woodland Chase" that was performed by the Yale

Concert Band.

Jennifer Bacsik studied criminal law and wrote a paper titled "Jury Selection

- Does The System Work?" Her mentor was David Nanavaty, assistant public

defender for the Town of Derby.

Carrie DiSette studied pediatric medicine at the Center for Pediatric Medicine

in Danbury, writing a paper titled "The Effects of Passive Smoking on

Children." Her mentor was pediatrician Ana Paula Machado.

Nicholas Perrone worked with child psychologist Robert McWilliam in Woodbury

and wrote a paper titled "A Valuable Profession is Threatened."

Janice Golenbock studied computer science with Philip Stahl, president of

Stahl Optical Systems, Inc, in Newtown. Her paper was titled "Analyzing Fluid

Flow of Oil in Space."

Laura Marusa studied business and total quality management, working with the

senior vice president of the Juran Institute in Wilton, Joseph A. DeFeo. Her

paper was titled "Strategic Planning."

Lauren McEvoy worked in the field of advertising design, writing a paper

titled "Developing a Corporate Logo - Oxford Technical Staffing." Her mentor

was James R. Gregory, president of Corporate Branding Partnership in Stamford.

Delphine Tuot wrote a paper on "Genetic Manipulation" while doing medical

research with Cheng-Kon Shih, principal scientist at Boehringer Ingelheim

Pharmaceuticals, Inc, in Ridgefield.

Lauren Pelletreau studied orthopedic surgery under the guidance of Dr Michael

Brand of Danbury Orthopedic Associates. Her paper was titled, "Factors Which

Cause a Higher Incidence of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Female

Athletes."