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With a prompt of "Say Money," Bailey Duddy, Brendon Duddy, Sarah Signore and nine other children smiled for a camera Monday afternoon in the Jefferson Science Magnet School library. "Thank you," they said in unison after being asked for a comment by The Daily Norwalk as they posed with a $5,000 ceremonial check.
The real check went to Sarah Duddy, president of the school's Parent Teacher Organization, and Julie Signore, its treasurer. There to hand it over was Carll Tucker, founder and publisher of Main Street Connect, publisher of this website and nine others in Fairfield County towns.
The PTO got the second highest vote total in Main Street Connect's promotion, the Better Schools Bonanza, to win the $5,000 prize. Duddy said she doesn't know yet how the money will be spent. "We're going to get together as a group and figure it out," she said.
Brookside Elementary, also in Norwalk, came in first place.
Signore, Duddy and others were up late Nov. 15, as voting ended at 11:59 p.m. "I was actually on the phone with Sarah Duddy at 12:15," said Signore. "We were disappointed but very excited, because we worked very hard. And we knew our families worked hard. We're happy for Brookside, we're happy for all the Norwalk schools that were able to take part. The Daily Norwalk gave a lot of money to a lot of Norwalk kids and that's what's important, what our kids are getting out of this."
Duddy and Signore were grateful to all the parents who worked to bring the money to the PTO. "The parents really came through," Signore said. "I mean, it was amazing how many parents came up and said, 'What can we do to help?'"
Principal John Reynolds was grateful, too, saying, "It became a really productive competition, I think showing that we've got lots of people in our community not only internal resources but also external folks who are looking for a way to support teaching."
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