WOODSTOCK — This spring, UConn Early College Experience (ECE) program announced that The Woodstock Academy was in the top 10 in the state in both credits earned and the number of students enrolled in ECE courses. In the 2017-18 school year, 193 Academy students earned 1359 UConn credit hours in Academy courses.
UConn Early College Experience (ECE) is an opportunity for students to take UConn Courses while still at The Academy. Courses are taught by Academy teachers who have been certified as adjunct faculty members by the University of Connecticut. Courses offered through ECE are approximately one-tenth the cost of taking the same course on the UConn campus. Collectively, that is nearly $700,000 in tuition saved by Academy students last year.
“When our students are able to earn college credit for the rigorous classes they take at The Academy, they are better prepared for what they might encounter as a college freshman,” said Christopher Sandford, head of school at The Woodstock Academy.
There are 24 Woodstock Academy courses that offer credit through UConn, including courses in English, calculus, statistics, environmental science, biology, chemistry, biotechnology, physics, drawing, music, international relations, human rights, Spanish, Latin, Italian, and family development. 
Each year UConn ECE’s Professional Development Awards recognize excellence in the ECE community. This spring, The Woodstock Academy’s Sara Dziedzic, social studies teacher and department chair, received a UConn ECE Instructor Award for Excellence in Instruction. Dziedzic teaches UConn ECE courses in international relations and several years ago pioneered a course in human rights. The UConn ECE community includes over 1,400 instructors in Connecticut high schools.
This April, Dziedzic and her human rights class received an ECE grant to put on a regional Human Rights Conference for area middle and high school students. The inaugural conference drew in over 250 students from 14 schools. The grant helped cover conference costs including transportation for schools that would not have otherwise been able to attend the conference. The Woodstock Academy was honored to have Connecticut Attorney General William Tong as the keynote speaker and nine partner organizations to co-lead workshops with students in Dziedzic’s human rights class.

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PUTNAM — Lee Poitras was named Putnam Bank’s Employee of the Month for April. Poitras has been with the bank since August 1976, and currently serves as Deposit Operations manager.
She said, “I am honored to be nominated by my Putnam Bank family for this award.  It’s a privilege to work with such a caring group of people.”
She volunteers for the NECT Cancer Fund Walk & Race, Northeast Opportunities for Wellness Road Race & Walk; she is also involved with the Bowdish Lake Association.
In her free time she enjoys kayaking, paddle boarding and flower gardening.
She especially enjoys traveling on vacation to tropical locations with her husband, Glenn. Their favorites being Hawaii and Key West.
“Lee is a long term, dedicated employee who is a great champion of the bank. She participates in most of the bank’s outreach events, and has served on numerous committees over her nearly 43 years at Putnam Bank. Lee is a well-respected member of our team, and serves as an inspiration to us all”, said Thomas A. Borner, president and CEO of Putnam Bank.

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Then
Medbury and Trowbridge after the Flood of 1955. Putnam Town Crier file photos.

& Now
This is the same area today, in the Riverview Shopping Plaza.