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‘We’re glad
she stayed’ –
and so is she
In the end, it all worked out. But when Skylar Steele first started at Putnam Science Academy in the 2020-21 school year, she wasn’t so sure.
She decided to enroll at PSA instead of Killingly High School for a chance to play soccer at a high level and get herself ready to play in college. But because the world was still in the throes of COVID, PSA didn’t have enough girls’ soccer players to field a team that year, and the program was eventually dropped entirely. Now a senior at the school, Steele never played one soccer game at PSA.
But earlier this month, she did announce that she had committed to New England College in New Hampshire and will play soccer there beginning next fall.
“It was a relief because at first I didn’t know where I was going to go to college without a team here to help with that. It was difficult back then,” she said. “But once I talked with my dad, and we started getting comfortable with going to college clinics and being seen there by coaches, it worked out fine.”
Steele, who just turned 17, also still had her club team – initially Liverpool, now Mach 1 FC – to play for, which helped reinforce her decision to stay at PSA.
“Being in this environment here will really help me in the long run,” she said. “I’ve gotten so much more comfortable with myself and the people around me. My first year here, I was very quiet, I didn’t even make small talk with anyone. I was just really reserved and to myself. Now I’m comfortable with all of it and I try to put myself out there as much as I can with everyone.
“I’m glad I stayed. The people surrounding me here, even though I didn’t have a team here, made me feel comfortable.”
The left back built a relationship with NEC coach Paul Vazquez going back to her sophomore, so the chance to finally play for him has her excited. So too does the academic piece of college. Steele is a talented artist and plans to further her skills by majoring in one of the programs there.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “New environment, new people…it’s going to be exciting.”
Said PSA Athletic Director Tom Espinosa: “We’re really happy for her, and we’re really glad she stayed. When she first started, she was really quiet, really kept to herself. But as time has gone on, you see her around the school with her friends, she’s not just to herself. I never got a chance to see her play, but it’s exciting for that she gets to go on to the next level.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy

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Woodstock public schools
Every day: Fruit. Monday: Hot dogs, baked beans. Tuesday: Mini pancakes, sausage, hash browns. Wednesday: Chicken nuggets, carrots. Thursday: Beef and cheese nachos. Friday: Pizza, broccoli.
Putnam Elementary/Middle
Every day: Fruit. Monday: Chicken sandwiches. Tuesday: Cheese-filled twisted bread, marinara, broccoli. Wednesday: Chicken nuggets, broccoli. Thursday: Beef soft tacos, corn. Friday: Stuffed-crust pizza, salad.
Putnam High
Monday: Orange chicken bowls or spicy chicken sandwiches. Tuesday: Tuscan grilled cheese or bacon cheeseburgers. Wednesday: Chicken burrito power bowl or chicken wraps. Thursday: Cheesy beef tots or "Wild Mike's" cheese bites. Friday: Stuffed-crust pizza or buffalo popcorn chicken basket.
Pomfret Community
Every day: Grilled cheese, Yogurt Fun Lunch, Sunbutter & Jelly. Monday: Egg and cheese breakfast tacos, hash browns. Tuesday: Spicy or plain chicken patties. Wednesday: Hot dogs. Thursday: Chicken cutlets over egg noodles, green beans. Friday: Pizza.

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caption, page 3:

Signing
Kelvin Da Costa, left, and Rebecca Nazer sign their National Letters of Intent. Da Costa will play soccer for Syracuse University and Nazer has committed to Florida Southern to play. Photo by Marc Allard.


Two seniors
sign their NLIs
It’s the dream of just about every student-athlete.
In the senior year of high school, sit behind a table, surrounded by family, teammates, classmates and friends and sign a National Letter of Intent.
That dream came true for two members of the Woodstock Academy athletic community on Tuesday.
Senior Kelvin Da Costa, a member of the prep 1 soccer team, officially committed to play Division I soccer for Syracuse University.
Girls’ soccer keeper Rebecca Nazer signed on the dotted line to play for Div. II Florida Southern in Lakeland.
“Very happy,” said a beaming Nazer.
But that happiness was not only due to being able to play soccer at the next level.
“At the same time of getting a chance to play Div. II soccer, I will be majoring in marine biology which is the major that I have wanted to do since I was a little kid,” Nazer said.
Da Costa was born in Mozambique where his parents still reside.
So Tuesday was an event that he will remember.
“It was a special moment for me and my family. I just want to thank my teammates, coaches, friends, for getting me to the point where I needed to be and for making me a better soccer player and person,” Da Costa said of his
But New York is familiar ground for Da Costa as he spent much of his growing years in Queens, N.Y.
Growing up in New York, he felt Syracuse fit his personality.
It’s also a school for quality soccer.
The Orangemen have won four Div. I national titles including the most recent one in 2022.
“It’s a lot of pressure (to have committed to the defending National Champions), but, honestly, I don’t feel it. I feel like I can go there, make a good impact and help the team and school move forward,” Da Costa said.
The program has also made him feel comfortable in that regard.
While Da Costa is heading a little closer back to a familiar environment in New York, Nazer is leaving the comfort of home.
“I’ve always kind of been around Woodstock and I want to go out and see new things and figure out who I am as a person,” Nazer said.
Girls’ soccer coach Dennis Snelling said he is always happy to see his players move on to the next level and continue to play.
“Rebecca has been a leader since joining the team,” Snelling said. “A four-year starting goalie is unique and it’s great that she will be able to continue to play at a high level. It has always been a safe feeling, looking at our defensive net and seeing Rebecca in front of it for the last 70 or 80 matches.”
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

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Town of Putnam
Zoning Commission
Legal Notice

The Town of Putnam Zoning Commission held a hybrid meeting on November 15, 2023, at 7:00 P. M. in Room 201 at the Putnam Municipal Complex, located at 200 School Street, Putnam, CT. resulting in the following:

Docket # 2023-09 Putnam River Road, LLC- request for rear lot approval for property located on the easterly side Modock Road.  Town Assessors Map 43, Lot 10 (Lot 8 of the 11-lot re-subdivision) Zoned AG-2.  APPROVED

Docket # 2023-10  285 River Road, LLC request for rear lot approval for property located at 285 River Road Town Assessors Map 43, Lot 8 (Lot 4 of the 11-lot re-subdivision plan) Zoned AG-2. APPROVED

Rawson Materials-300 River Road-Excavation permit renewal-Bond 241,904.00.  APPROVED

Patricia Hedenberg, Chairperson

Nov. 22, 2023

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