Dean's List for Fall 2009 Semester

The following Branford, North Branford, and Northford residents were named to the dean's, presidents', and/or merit lists at their respective colleges and universities.

• University of Connecticut: Kelsey Sarah Barringham of Branford, Joseph Louis Cassone of Branford, Elizabeth Louise Chapman of Branford, Mark William Connolly of Northford, John M. Cusano of North Branford, John Edward D'Adamo of Northford, Olivia Kathleen Denegre of Branford, Corey Ryan Dwyer of North Branford, Nicole Sheryl Errante of Branford, Meredith Lee Falvey of North Branford, Abigail Kathryn Ferrucci of Northford, Franz Kristian Folz of North Branford, Cynthia Ann Gagliardi of Branford, Michael Joseph Gangi of Northford, Bryan Daniel Goodman of Branford, Thomas George Hewitt of Branford, Jelena Ivic of Branford, Peter Francis Kosciuk of Branford, Chelsea Elizabeth O'Connor of Branford, Jennifer Lauren Parness of Northford, Ruth Edith Reinwald of Branford, Nicole Denise Rizzo of North Branford, Jessica Anne Robinson of Northford, Michael Glenn Scalia of Northford, Tiffany Lee Schroder of Branford, Jake Q. Seaman of North Branford, Ryan Patrick Sullivan of Branford, Lauren Elizabeth Swartz of North Branford, Eric Clayton Warner of Branford, Allyson Marie Weted of Branford, and Christopher James Wood of Branford.

• University of Delaware: Katelyn Kelley, a junior nursing major in the College of Health Sciences; and Rachel White, a freshman communication interest major in the College of Arts and Sciences.

• University of New Hampshire: Amanda Baum of North Branford (high honors), Alexandra Discepolo of Branford (highest honors), Kristin Jones of Branford (honors), William Kottage of Northford (honors), Christopher Munson of Branford (high honors), Melissa Peterson of Branford (highest honors), and Lauren Robichaud of Northford (honors).

• University of New Haven: Wendy Ardizzone of Branford, Justin Battista of Branford; Michael Bauer of Branford, Dillon Bernard of Branford, Timothy Derr of Branford, Nibal Fadhil of North Branford, Katie Marotto of Northford, Jolene Morin of Branford, Ryan Onofrio of North Branford, Keara Petrillo of Branford, Samantha Prusski of Branford, Madison Soldano of Northford, Mark Spinello of Branford, Jeremiah Sutherland of Branford, and Katharine Voos of North Branford.

• University of Mary Washington: Hannah Carloni of Branford, a sophomore.

• University of Rochester: Taryn Mockus of Branford, the daughter of Ed and Tammy Mockus.

• University of Vermont: Sarah Gallalee of Branford, a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences.

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Benjamin Johnson of Northford, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering; and Matthew Rosen of Branford, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering.

Academic and Extracurricular Achievements

• Nicole Alexandra Rioux Beletsky of Branford, the daughter of Barry P. Beletsky and Denise M. Rioux of Branford, a senior at Colgate University, was named a Dana Scholar in recognition of superior academic achievement and demonstrated leadership on campus.

• Barbara Ann Browder of Branford earned an associate's in science in nursing from Excelsior College.

• Grady Keefe, the youngest-ever elected official in Connecticut history who served on the Branford RTM during his senior year at Branford High School, has enrolled at Pace University. He works with former President Bill Clinton in his Harlem office as an intern in Clinton's World Initiative Program.

• Heather Petrucci of North Branford, the daughter of Frederick and Maureen Petrucci and a senior psychology major at Connecticut College, was named a Winthrop Scholar. This is the highest academic honor bestowed by the college to members of the senior class who demonstrate exceptional scholarship, personal fitness, and promise. Winthrop Scholars are also selected for membership in the Delta of Connecticut Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

• Greg Scheiber of Northford, a freshman at Gettysburg College, participated in the school's spring production of The Winter's Tale.

• University of New Haven Graduates: Kristin Holland of Branford (master's of science in education), Michelle McCaughey of Northford (master's of science in education), and Michael Tobey of Branford (bachelor's of arts in English).

Honor Roll Students

• Choate Rosemary Hall, Winter Term: Christina Bassick of Branford, the daughter of Gayle T. Bassick; Nathan Bennick of Branford, the son of Dr. Michael C. Bennick; Zoe Dobuler of Branford; Emerald Douglas of North Branford; Jamal Lifschultz of Branford, the son of Lawrence S. Lifschultz and Rabia F. Ali; Lily McCarthy of Branford, the daughter of Dr. John Gerard McCarthy and Dr. Amy Hope Sherman; and Lanya Tseng of Branford, the daughter of Dr. Yesook Kim and Dr. Yin-Chao Tseng.

• The Country School, 1st Semester: Ali Luchini (grade 8, Branford, effort list and academic honors list); Ashley Luchini (grade 6, Branford, effort list and academic honors list); Michael Luchini (grade 6, Branford, effort list and academic honors list); and Alexandra Rudden (grade 8, Branford, effort list and academic honors list).

• Mercy High School, 2nd Marking Period: Christine Battle (freshman, North Branford, first honors); Amanda Criscuolo (sophomore, Branford, second honors); Kathryn Malcolm (junior, Branford, first honors); and Christina Rampone (freshman, Branford, second honors).

• Sacred Heart Academy, 2nd Quarter Honor Roll: Lisa Arpino (senior, Branford, honors); Elizabeth Baldwin (junior, Branford, high honors); Stephanie Baldwin (sophomore, Branford, high honors); Natalie Bastian (sophomore, Branford, honors); Emily Baumgaertner (senior, Northford, high honors); Julie Cappello (senior, Northford, high honors); Raychel Decker (junior, Northford, honors); Cassandra DeFelice (senior, North Branford, high honors); Meagan Edmonds (senior, Branford, high honors); Elizabeth Falcigno (junior, Branford, high honors); Daniele Gargamelli (junior, Branford, high honors); Allysandra Giannini (sophomore, Branford, high honors); Cassandra Lipkvich (junior, Branford, honors); Kathleen Meriano (senior, Branford, high honros); Kyle Mitchell (junior, Branford, high honors); Marissa Nobile (junior, Branford, honors); Angela Onofrio (freshman, Northford, high honors); Alexa Parisi (freshman, Branford, high honors); Jordan Park (senior, Branford, high honors); Catherine Pepe (junior, Branford, high honors); Francesca Pepe (freshman, Branford, high honors); Christina Poplizio (junior, Northford, high honors); Emily Roth (sophomore, Branford, high honors); Chelsea Rubsam (junior, Branford, high honors); Carrie Slayton (sophomore, Northford, high honors); and Caitlin Tucker (senior, Branford, honors).

• Xavier High School, 2nd Term: Ian P. Albert, '11 (Northford, high honors); Erick D. Bilides, '10 (Northford, honors); Christopher A. Brown, '10 (Branford, honors); Shaun P. Coughlin, '10 (Northford, honors); Timothy T. DeMatteo, '10 (Northford, honors); Ian P. Fitch, '12 (Northford, honors); Miles A. Goad, '11 (North Branford, honors); Jordan D. Greenhalgh, '13 (Northford, honors); Joseph M. Lynch, '11 (North Branford, high honors); Kyle S. McLaughlin, '12 (Branford, high honors); Joseph F. Maturo, '10 (Branford, honors); Andrew W. Moeller, '12 (Northford, high honors); John R. Paine, Jr., '10 (Northford, high honors); Dominick J. Proto, '11 (Branford, honors); Daniel Ramirez, '12 (Branford, high honors); John P. Reidy, '13 (Northford, high honors); Marc J. Savino, '10 (Northford, high honors); and John J. Wilkinson, '10 (Branford, high honors).

Milestones

• Mr. and Mrs. Dumark of New York City welcomed twin sons, Noah Jaemin Dumark and Casey Jaesun Dumark, on Jan. 30 at New York Presbyterian Hospital. The twins' paternal grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Dumark of Branford; maternal grandparents are Dr. and Mrs. Cho of Tarrytown, New York.

Career Achievements

• First Lt. Tanya Oppel Casey, a Branford native and 2006 graduate of Cornell University, has been named executive officer to the commander of the 380th Expeditionary Operations Group at a non-disclosed base in Southeast Asia. Casey acts as a liaison between the group commander and the commanders of the squadrons within the operations group, which is deployed from the Third Air Force at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. In addition to directly supporting the operations group commander's efforts, she also supports administrative efforts for all the members of the group, along with processing evaluations and decorations on the group's behalf. • Carol-Ann Dahlmeyer and Marcia Delfini, both employees in H. Pearce Company Realtors's Branford office, were named to the company's 2009 Chairman Circle.

• Margaret B. Dean was elected to a two-year term as president of the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society, for which she has served on the board for five years. View her work at the Stony Creek Gallery at 152 Thimble Islands Road, Branford, or at www.margaretbdean.com.

• Keith Pelatowski of North Branford received the 2009 Regional Manager of the Year award for American Medical Systems. He had previously earned the award in 2008.

• Alice Ragozzino of North Branford was named a lia sophia Excellent Beginnings Program Achiever. Contact her at capricorn50@att.net.

• Mary (Kasprzyk) Tokarski of Northford and Julie (Kasprzyk) Cardona of Southington returned to the Naugatuck Valley recently for a concert following successful, lifetime musical careers. As members of the internationally famous K Trio, which also included their brother Walter Kasprzyk (who now resides in Florida), Tokarski and Cardona performed at John J. Sullivan's in Ansonia, performing with the Connecticut Accordion Orchestra at the association's first meeting in southeastern Connecticut. Tokarski also recently appeared in concert performances with the Prince George's Philharmonic Orchestra (Maryland), The Auckland Symphony (New Zealand), the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra (the Czech Republic), on tour in China with the Mantovani Orchestra, and several World Accordion Orchestras (Washington, D.C., Scotland, and New Zealand). For more information about the Connecticut Accordion Association or to book a performance with the orchestra, call Marilyn at 203-272-1202, Mary at 203-484-5095, or Linda at 203-556-0002.

• Joanne Turecek of North Branford, an aquatic specialist for Aquatic Motivations, attended the 2010 National Specialty Certificate Conference in Washington, D.C.

• Melissa C. Yester, CMC, assistant town clerk in Branford, has earned Certified Municipal Clerk designation from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks.

Service Awards and Recognitions

• Claire C. Bennitt of Branford was honored by the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA) for 32 years of service to the RWA. She has been involved with the Regional Water Authority (RWA) from its inception, serving for 22 years as its secretary/treasurer and, for the past decade, as chair of the organization. She was also instrumental in starting The Watershed Fund, a non-profit organization founded in 1998 with a mission to acquire and preserve undeveloped watershed lands and support environmental education. The fund also awards scholarships to those pursuing a college degree in environmental studies. The RWA has renamed its recreation program The Claire C. Bennitt Recreation Program of the Regional Water Authority in her honor. She retired from RWA in 2009.

• Branford Hall of Fame 2010 Inductees: Judy Dube, school transportation specialist; Helen Elperina, Branford High School physics teacher; Lou Ann Eminger, Branford art teacher; Gordon Geballe, Yale associate dean and internationally renowned environmentalist; Colleen McDonald, retired Tisko School teacher; Carol Martens, retired Walsh Intermediate School physical education teacher and coach; and Linda Muir, retired Tisko School teacher. Posthumous inductees-Warren Adams, Branford High School history teacher; Mandana Armstrong, founder of Branford's first pre-school; and George Mischler, Branford High School Latin teacher and assistant principal.

• John Hodgins of Branford, senior communications associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, was elected secretary of the Southern Connecticut Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America Board of Directors. Mary Ingarra, APR, of North Branford, manager of public affairs for the Connecticut Water Company, was named a member-at-large.

• Mabel Kerrigan of Branford received the St. Joseph Medal of Appreciation from Archbishop Henry J. Mansell at St. Joseph Cathedral in Hartford. The medal is the Archdiocese of Hartford's highest award for lay service. Kerrigan founded the Parish Nursing Program at St. Mary's Parish in Branford, which provides free health screenings and flu shots to parishioners. She is also involved in several other aspects of the community, including chairing the parish picnic committee, serving at Mass, counting the offertory, and serving on various committees and groups.

• Eugene Singer of Branford received the Outstanding Service to Quinnipiac Award during Quinnipiac University's winter homecoming celebration. Singer is a certified public accountant and owns his own firm in North Haven. He is an at-large member of the Alumni Association's National Board of Governors, a member of the New Haven Alumni Chapter, and a member the Board of Governor's alumni engagement subcommittee and of the School of Business' finance committee.