Wheeler High graduates Cheryl Hasse (Lord) and Wayne Coats will be inducted as Distinguished Alumni on March 25 at the Lake of Isles during the annual fundraiser sponsored by the North Stonington Education Foundation, North Stonington Unleashed, which begins at 6 p.m. The inductees were chosen by a committee composed of school personnel and Wheeler graduates.

Hayes is a 1978 graduate known for her service to the school system, North Stonington community, and humanity in general. In 2022 she was presented with the first-ever Attorney General Citizen Hero Award for her work on behalf of an 82-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran who had lost his cane. She led a campaign to get a new cane for him as well as a new home which he sorely needed. Cheryl also donates food to the needy, often anonymously, and is a champion of women with various needs.

Wayne Coats graduated from Wheeler in 1970. He has made enormous contributions to the North Stonington community. He has volunteered with the North Stonington Little League, Zoning, Permanent School Planning and Building Committee as well as the Juvenile Review Board and was a long-time coach of the Wheeler Middle School Basketball team. Coats also beautified the North Stonington School grounds first as a volunteer and then as a full-time groundskeeper. He frequently worked seven days a week.

For tickets, please go to northstoningtoneducationfoudation.org.

For further information contact: Bernard “Bing” Bartick at BBesail@ol.com or 860-389-0264.

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