Fans of frozen yogurt will have heard of the Peachwave that opened up in Newtown in March. This self-serve shop is soon to be eclipsed for Southbury residents by Froyo World, which is due to open sometime in the spring in the Southbury Plaza.

Waterbury mayor Neil O’Leary has agreed to reject the $91,000 annual police pension offered to him by the city of Waterbury. The mayor has finally completed this campaign promise, as he pledged to reject such an offer since he would already be receiving large sums of taxpayer dollars.

It has been approximately one month since Tucker Gowen, a junior at Pomperaug, was diagnosed with leukemia. Shortly after he was diagnosed, the idea was concocted for people to keep their hair short in Tucker’s honor. Ryan Bartolotta, a junior, heard about this idea, and then suggested that we have a head-shaving event as a fundraiser for Tucker and his family. After receiving permission from the administration, the date was set for Tuesday, April 10.

With warm weather warming our bones and the sunshine brightening our moods, it’s hard not to want summer vacation to start tomorrow. But, never fear! School ends in about 60-70 days, and I’ve got the perfect playlist for you and your buddies to jam to until that day comes. This playlist is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a bounce in your step.

Simple events can turn your world upside down; such was the case for the Gowen family last Friday, March 23. Tucker Gowen, a junior at Pomperaug, went to the doctor with his mom for a possible case of swimmer’s ear. Upon further examination and tests, he was sent to the emergency room because the doctors suspected that he might have had pancreatitis. He was eventually diagnosed with leukemia. Tucker is currently at Children’s Hospital of Boston undergoing chemotherapy treatment. He will be there for about four more months. On Sunday, March 25, a Facebook page, titled “Luck2Tuck” was created to keep people updated on Tucker’s condition and what was being done for him. With the help of this page and other social networking sites and tools, the news of Tucker’s illness spread like wildfire. 

On Friday, March 30th, the school got together to raise money for diabetes at the 3rd annual Dodgeball for Diabetes tournament. Pomperaug’s National Honor Society sponsored the event, organizing the tournament, acting as referees and collecting donations at the door. Twenty teams of five to six players entered in the tournament and played five rounds in a bracket format. Teams showed up wearing their sporty best, aside from the occasional toga, and team names included everything from D’Angelo’s Army to Team Trash. The winning team was the Flint Michigan Tropics, which included Andrew Reel, Stephen Consiglio, Taylor Ellsworth, Max Calvert, Gabrielle Holness and Chloe Benoit.

On March 23rd at 7pm, Pomperaug will be hosting an event in order to fundraise for this year’s GradNite. For $10, you can see an amazing show of hypnotism and comedy performed by Dan LaRosa, who has been working in this profession for thirty years. It’s guaranteed to be a night of laughs and entertainment!

On Monday, February 27th, Dr. Sippy unveiled his 2012-2013 budget proposal for Region 15. One of the most notable aspects of his proposal is that it called for a flat budget (no increases from previous years). During a presentation in front of the Board of Education, he covered in depth the details of his proposal, as well as some of the goals the Region is seeking to achieve with the proposed budget. Throughout the presentation, fiscal responsibility and enhancing fundamental 21st century skills proved to be the main driving factors behind this proposal. Factors taken into consideration for this budget were national economic trends, Social Security increases, Education Cost Sharing Grants, and Region 15 enrollment.

Google Apps for Education is an online system that is in the process of being introduced to Region 15. It is currently only being used at Rochambeau Middle School, but the region has plans to begin using it at other Region 15 schools in the near future. This program is used to connect students with their teachers.