District News/Press Releases

Hispanic Heritage Month

Student Spotlight –

By Maj Ryan Orozco, USMC (Ret.)

Rams Selected Inaugural Winner of Honor Named for Longtime Waterbury Educator Huckins

Board of Education Holds Vote at Special Meeting on August 20

Summer Conference Focuses on Research-Based Strategies for Meeting Student Needs

State Senator Joan Hartley, Instrumental in Securing Program's Funding, Pays Visit on Final Day

Hunte Among Four Members of WCA EdRising to Compete at Nationals

Short-Circuited Eagles Part of Championship Alliance at Where is Wolcott Invite for Second Consecutive Year

Quartet Represents First Class of Graduates for Personalized Learning Platform

Winners Honored at June 6 Board of Education Committee Workshop

Seven Angels Celebrates the Best in High School Theater

District Honored for Commitment to Whole-Child Education

Variety Show To Be Held on June 1 at Palace Theater

District Honors 155 High School Seniors for Dual Language Mastery

Chorus and Chamber Choirs Combine to Win Best Overall Choir; String Orchestra Also Finishes First

Twenty-Eight Middle and High School Students Honored at May 16 Board of Education Meeting

District Teacher, Paraprofessionals, Support Staff and Administrator of the Year Announced at Palace Theater

Fellow Eighth Grader From Wendell Cross School Finishes Third

Zhahnazia Curry Was Insipred Into Military Service by Family Members

State champion Bulldogs competed in national championship event in April.

Marketing Students Put Theory Into Practice By Planning Groundbreaking Event

Seniors Represent First Class of ECHS Graduates

Students Mastered More Than 13,000 Words During Vocabulary.com Spring Season

Inaugural 10-Member Class To Be Inducted on May 8

Wilby's Beamon, WCA's Lott, Williams Recognized by GameTimeCT and CHSCA

WISHFest – the partnership between UConn Waterbury and the City of Waterbury that promotes innovation, sustainability, and health – returns on Tuesday, April 23 with a program structured around the promotion of diversity as a vital source for creativity and development.

The Crosby High School LifeSmarts team has captured the 2024 Connecticut state championship for LifeSmarts. The Crosby team will now travel to San Diego, Calif., from Apr. 18-21, to compete in the National LifeSmarts Championship. 

Four Waterbury Public Schools high-school seniors – Chase Beck and Hauwa Mukhtar of Crosby High School, Arianna Ceballos-Pena of Waterbury Career Academy (WCA) and Grace Henderson of Waterbury Arts Magnet School (WAMS) – will be honored at the upcoming Dr. Lawrence J. Shea Memorial Awards Dinner, hosted by the Exchange Club of Waterbury.

In a remarkable display of creativity and collaboration, two Waterbury Arts Magnet School (WAMS) 10th-grade students unveiled a stunning mural at the Student Center at UCONN Waterbury. This mural, a vibrant tapestry of color and expression, serves as a celebration of diversity and empowerment within the university community.

NBC Connecticut Storm Tracker meteorologist Rachael Jay paid a visit to the fifth-grade students at Carrington School on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. After making a presentation about working in television news and tracking storms such as tornadoes, Jay gave the Carrington students a tour of the Snow Monster, NBC Connecticut’s weather vehicle.

Thirty Waterbury Public Schools (WPS) high school juniors took advantage of the opportunity to visit multiple out-of-state colleges and universities earlier this month by participating in the GEAR UP Waterbury New England College Tour.

Micaela Snow, a Waterbury native and Kennedy High School graduate, has become a published author. Snow’s book of poetry, “her form of healing,” is available online on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Wilby High School hosted the NE FIRST Waterbury District Event, a FIRST Robotics Competition, on the weekend of March 9-10, 2024. The robotics teams from Wilby and Kennedy High Schools represented Waterbury Public Schools during the event.

Waterbury Public School is hosting its annual art showcase, Artrageous– an art exhibit held at the Mattatuck Museum showcasing the fine artworks of its students. The 2024 Artrageous opening night will be Tuesday, April 9, 2024, from 6 - 8 p.m. at the Mattatuck Museum. Artrageous Exhibit will continue until April 22, 2024.  

Thirty-three teams of students in grades 9-12 from Connecticut and Massachusetts will compete at the NE FIRST Waterbury District Event, a FIRST Robotics Competition qualifier, the weekend of March 9-10, 2024, at Wilby High School. The event is free and open to the public.

The Wallace Middle School (WMS) girls’ basketball team went undefeated in Junior Naugatuck Valley League play this season, sporting a 14-0 won-lost record against league competition. The 2023-24 Lions captured the Waterbury city championship and claimed Junior NVL regular-season and tournament titles and finished with an overall record of 16-1.

Three Waterbury Career Academy (WCA) seniors – Alivia Afable, Craig Hunte, and Madeline Molina – have qualified for the Connecticut 2024 Educators Rising Conference Competitions. The students will compete at the 2024 Educators Rising State Conference hosted by Central Connecticut State University on Friday, March 8, 2024.

Eva Pineda, a senior at John F. Kennedy High School, won the women’s floor exercise in her division at the 2024 Orlando Dolphin Classic Gymnastics Invitational, a USA Gymnastics-sanctioned event held January 26-28 in Kissimmee, Fla.

High-Achieving Teacher Inspires Students to Dream Bigger at Wilby High School

Connecticut Attorney General (AG) William Tong awarded citations to the Colorguard of  Wilby High School’s Marine Corps Junior Reserves Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) on February 2nd, 2024. The students received the citations after presenting the national colors at the Fifth Annual State of Connect-icut Attorney General’s Office Awards Ceremony. They also discussed career opportunities, both civilian and       military, with several veterans currently serving on the AG’s staff.  These discussions also amplified several of the MCJROTC program focus areas, including citizenship, public service, and career exploration.

College Board’s BigFuture announced that a Wilby High School student Amesha Jainandan has earned one of two monthly $40,000 scholarships for completing key college and career planning steps. BigFuture is a free, online resource that helps students take the right first step after high school.

Waterbury Public Schools (WPS) Superintendent Dr. Verna D. Ruffin has announced the 41 recipients of the 2024 WPS Superintendent Student Recognition Awards. Dr. Ruffin and Waterbury Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski Jr. have spent the past week visiting each district school to personally present honorees with their award.

The Rivera Memorial Foundation, Inc., is proud to announce that 10 Waterbury Public School students are recipients of the 2024 Rivera Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship, established in memory of Firefighter Heriberto “Eddie” Rivera and fellow firefighter Howard Hughes by Maritza Rivera, family, and friends of Eddie, aims to give back to the youths, Latinos, and the general community of Waterbury for the purpose of maintaining and continuing the memory and spirit of Eddie and Howard. 

Suzanna Dali-Parker, a multilingual teacher at Gilmartin School, has been named the winner of the 2024 Rivera Memorial Foundation Inspiring Educator Award. Dali-Parker will be honored at the 2024 Rivera Memorial Scholarship Dinner on April 11, 2024, at La Bella Vista in Waterbury. Connecticut. 

Waterbury Public Schools is excited to announce the launch of its new podcast, The Source, set to debut on February 9, 2024. This groundbreaking podcast aims to foster meaningful conversations around pertinent topics affecting our school district and the broader educational community.

Waterbury Public School proudly announces that Jade Gopie has been honored with the prestigious Leadership and Trailblazer Award for 2024 by Masons Kellogg Lodge No. 5. The recognition celebrates her outstanding contributions to education and the educational community.

Waterbury Arts Magnet School (WAMS) is thrilled to announce that Marianna Vagnini Dadamo, a distinguished faculty member, has been honored with the prestigious title of Outstanding Music Educator by the National Federation of State High Schools (NFHS). The Outstanding Music Educator Awards began in 1989, and 213 individuals have received section awards and another 394 have been honored with state awards. This recognition is a testament to Dadamo’s unwavering commitment to excellence in music education and her profound impact on the lives of students and her community.

On December 21, 2023, the Waterbury Board of Education voted and passed the renaming of the International Dual Language School to be renamed the Roberto Clemente International Dual Language School in tribute to the legendary humanitarian and baseball icon, Roberto Clemente.

WAMS Educator Mary Case Recognized By Country 92.5FM

Junior Yahnajah Wood Earns $1,000 Grant From Connecticut Conference of Municipalities

WPS Receives $2.265M for Access to Technology
Bridge to Success Receives $2.5M Full-Service Community Schools Grant

Ingrid Howe-Green Recognized At Group's Fall Conference

Pre-K Class Writes, Draws Cookbook Based On Family Recipes

Grants will drive academic success and provide wraparound supports to students, educators, and families

Waterbury Public Schools Parent Liaison Volunteers to Assist in Food Donation to Students

North End Middle School Exits Turnaround School Category

Academic Academy Social Studies Teacher is Named Scholar

Fifty-One Current Juniors Completed Six-Week Program at CT State-Naugatuck Valley

Waterbury Public Schools Demonstrates Growth on the Smarter Balanced Assessments

Today, Waterbury Public Schools announced the launch of its newly revamped website. The website redesign offers users ease in navigation, quick access to essential information and features that offers a more comprehensive look at all the work and success here at Waterbury Public Schools.

Student Shadowing Program Back At Saint Mary's Hospital

WPS Receives the 2023 EVERFI Empowered Seal

Marching Eagles Performed on July 4 in Washington, D.C.

Short-Circuited Eagles, A Rookie Program, Part of Alliance That Captures Where Is Wolcott Invitational

Laniah Moffett's State Open Crown Caps Undefeated Campaign, NVL Championship

Grants Are the First Round of the Lamont Administration’s Newly Established HVAC Indoor Air Quality Grants Program for Public Schools

Waterbury Public School Staff Participate in a 3-Day School Turnaround Leadership Institute

Waterbury Public Schools Demonstrates Growth on the Smarter Balanced Assessments