Roses & Thorns

ROSES to Claudia Avery, a secretary at Sarah Noble Intermediate School in New Milford, who has been selected as honorary chairman for New Milford's 2010 edition of the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life, scheduled for June 26 at Sarah Noble. Mrs. Avery has shrugged off the rigors of surgery and numerous bouts with chemotherapy to keep working at the school, all the while maintaining a positive outlook and serving as what assistant principal Donald Naiman calls a "beacon" to students and her fellow staffers.

A respective mix of ROSES and THORNS to the 2010 New Milford High School Grad Party committee for organizing what annually is one of the town's most ambitious and successful events while, at the same time, revealing a dubious level of wisdom in choosing for a second straight year a wine and beer tasting party as a fundraiser. We encourage parents of past, present and future NMHS students to get involved in planning and running the Grad Party to assure the Class of 2010 will be treated to the wonderful night of fun and camaraderie that has so characterized past grad parties. We do, however, strongly urge the committee for the 2011 Grad Party to use some of its ingenuity and energy to come up with another option for raising funds. The Grad Party was created 15 years ago to give the graduates a safe, entertaining, non-alcoholic place to burn their energy hours after receiving diplomas. Much as we recognize it is legal for adults to drink alcohol, the tone set by holding a drinking party as a Grad Party fundraiser is simply not appropriate.

THORNS to the state Department of Transportation (DOT) for its ongoing failure to patch the growing potholes at both sides of the railway crossing on Bridge Street in New Milford, as promised by a DOT spokesman to The Spectrum last week. Thousands of drivers pass over the tracks every day and, with each trip, risk potential damage to their vehicles and, while attempting to dodge the potholes, increase the likelihood of a traffic accident.