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WIth photo: PAGE ONE FEATURE On NEWTOWN TEEN
B Y A MY D'O RIO
If Molly Dorozenski never felt special before, she certainly does now.
The 17-year-old Newtown High School senior is being flown to Tokyo this month
to join 39 others for a three-day summit on how computers, linked globally,
can tackle world problems.
Molly, one of six American students chosen to go to the Junior GII (Global
Information Infrastructure) Summit, will also get a tour of the Asian city
after the conference and a new computer, compliments of Isao Okawa, president
and chairman of CSK Corporation and Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
With other business and world leaders, Mr Okawa hatched the idea of the junior
summit earlier this year at a G7 Conference on improving global computer
links. The leaders felt the students, with their unfettered imaginations,
would come up with some fresh ideas on how to use a global network of
computers.
Through an essay competition in September, 40 students from around the world
were picked to go the conference, which starts October 30, to develop their
ideas further.
Molly had the third highest score on her essay out of the 150 submissions in
this country.
"We are really proud to have the only student from the Northeast going," said
William Manfredonia, Newtown High School's principal.
Mr Manfredonia was informed of the competition late, so students had only four
days to write their essays.
Molly came up with a four-step process that she called a Global Idea Synthesis
for Internet users to address social issues, like homelessness.
The first step would involve a general brainstorming session on the Internet.
Molly felt the Internet to be an ideal forum, partly because it is open to
anyone and would attract diverse participation from children to psychiatrists
to science fiction writers. By including all sorts of perspectives on the
issue, some dynamic ideas could be generated, she said.
Molly envisions that participants would submit ideas on how to solve the
problem of homelessness, and then, for the second step, read through all the
ideas and add to them.
The third stage, she said, would involve implementing the ideas through
various pilot programs, and the fourth stage would be assessing them.
"It is not a one-time process but a way of getting closer and closer to
something that works," she said.
Molly said homelessness and other social issues should be attacked on a global
level, instead of by individual countries or communities.
Molly considered her essay to be good, but not great. After all, she had only
four days to put it together and felt it failed to match the sample essay on
the application.
"I had a few daydreams that maybe I would win, but I did not think I would,"
she said.
At 10 pm Wednesday, September 27, Molly watched her mother speak to someone on
the phone.
"She kept a completely straight face," Molly said.
Her mother handed the phone to her daughter, who was then told about her trip
to Tokyo.
"I was just kind of jumping around the kitchen," Molly said.
Her father, by his own admission, started bouncing around too.
Richard Dorozenski works with computers and finds the summit fascinating. He
wants to go too, but this summit is just for teens.
Mr Dorozenski said Molly approached the essay question as a humanitarian and
did not get caught up in the gadgetry of computers.
He felt this, as well as her excellent writing skills, helped her win.
Molly is able to get around the Internet and use computers, but she said she
is not particularly knowledgeable. The student, who ranks sixth in her class,
tends to focus her energies on social issues and writing.
An active member of the Newtown High School's Students Working to Eliminate
Prejudice, Molly has focused on racism lately, but she said homelessness also
troubles her.
"It hurts me that in this society, with all that we have, we can't do
something about it," she said.
Now, she might just get her chance.
GENNEWS
STD HD: police reports
Alcohol Charges
Police report that while on patrol at about 10:30 pm on October 3, they
spotted a group of about 15 youths gathered at the Newtown Fish and Game
Club's boat launch at Taunton Pond. After checking the youths, police said
they found two of them in possession of alcohol. Charged with possession of
alcohol by a minor were: Michelle L. Aravena, 17, and Alan V. D'Amura, 19,
both of Bethel. After processing, they were released for court appearances
October 17 in Danbury Superior Court.
MV Charges
Police said that after learning they had an outstanding warrant against him,
Michael Arroyo, 19, of 203 Hanover Road turned himself at the police station
at about 10 pm on October 4. The warrant lists charges of speeding, operating
a motor vehicle while under suspension, and two counts of failure to appear in
court in the second degree. Police released him on a $1,000 bond for an
October 16 appearance in Danbury Superior Court.
Deer Killed
Police report that motorist Silvro Becchetti, 39, of Easton was driving
westbound on Church Hill Road at about 3:20 pm on October 3 when a deer ran in
front of his vehicle resulting in a collision that killed the deer.
Patrol Car Hit
Police report that a marked police patrol car which was stopped for a red
light was struck from behind by a motorist at about 7:20 am on October 2.
Police said a 1994 Ford Crown Victoria police car driven by Patrolman Dominido
Salvatore was headed southbound on Main Street and stopped in a line of
traffic for a red light near Route 302 while a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am driven by
Gregory Hassett, 21, of Auburn, N.Y., was stopped behind the police car.
Police said Hassett told them he was changing an audio cassette tape in the
Pontiac when it moved forward and struck the police car even though he had his
foot on the brake pedal. There were no injuries and only minor damage. Police
issued Hassett a written warning stating he made an unsafe movement from a
stop.
