Region One Superintendent Award Winners

Each spring, students throughout Region One School District nominate a standout classmate for the Superintendent Award. This honor recognizes individuals for outstanding academic performance, commitment to school sports and clubs, and dedication to the community. Below are winners for 2025.

Photo by Riley Klein

Katie Holst-Grubbe

North Canaan Elementary School

By Riley Klein

NORTH CANAAN — The students of North Canaan Elementary School selected Katie Holst-Grubbe as the winner of the 2025 Superintendent Award.

A passionate creative, Holst-Grubbe excels musically as a saxophone player and singer.

In the school play, “Storybook Court: Full of Beans,” she played Little Red Riding Hood, the plaintiff’s attorney in the trial of Jack and the Beanstalk.

As a member of student council, she has taken on a leadership role in NCES. In addition to promoting school events, Holst-Grubbe and other council members address topics of importance with Principal Beth Johnson each Friday.

She will attend Housatonic Valley Regional High School next year and plans to join the band, chorus and theater.

Photo by Ruth Epstein

Jerron Nirshel

Lee H. Kellogg School

By Ruth Epstein

FALLS VILLAGE — Jerron Nirshel has combined academics and sports for a successful career at Lee H. Kellogg School, resulting in his being this year’s Superintendent Award winner.

Nirshel, 14, the son of Harriet and Cris Nirshel, said physical education and math are his favorite subjects and all year he can be found on the sports fields, playing for the Region One soccer, basketball and baseball teams. Asked about his favorite Major League baseball team, he said he doesn’t really have one. “I’d rather play than watch it,” he replied.

He gives credit to his parents for their encouragement in helping him succeed. He also pointed out he likes the smallness of Kellogg and praised his teachers.

Nirshel plans on attending Housatonic Valley Regional High School in the fall.

Photo by Alec Linden

Alex Philipp

Salisbury Central School

By Alec Linden

SALISBURY — Eighth grader Alex Philipp is looking forward to meeting the other Superintendent Award winners later this month in “our big city of Litchfield,” as she put it with a wry smile.

“It just felt special” to be selected for the award she said, noting that it’s a selective honor. Philipp was selected for her leadership and talent both in and out of the classroom, remaining at the top of her class in all her subjects and excelling as a long term-member of the chorus and as a first-year clarinet player in the school band.

She also plays softball and has just completed a second season ski jumping with the Salisbury Winter Sports Association. She enjoys the commitment of jumping: “You’re just placed in the track and it launches you.”

Philipp will attend Millbrook School next year, but has deeply valued her time at Salisbury Central School where she’s been a student since second grade: “We’re all close friends and we all get along,” which is somewhat unique, she said.

Photo by Alec Linden

Noell Laurry

Kent Center School

By Alec Linden

KENT — Kent Center School Student Council President Noell Laurry feels that being a friendly face and accessible mentor is central to her role in student government.

“I want to be a person that younger kids can approach,” she said. “I like to reach out to kids in the younger grades,” she continued, even if “it’s just to say hi.”

On top of her government duties, she maintains a full schedule of extracurricular activities both in and out of school. She’s a three-sport athlete, playing tennis, soccer and (her favorite) basketball, which she got into through her dad, she said. She has played alto saxophone since fourth grade, and been in chorus since fifth.

Laurry is also a painter, makes bracelets, and is involved in a book club at Kent Memorial Library. When she finds the rare free moment, she loves heading outdoors to get away from it all – “I think it’s really therapeutic.”

A K-8 KCS student, Noell is grateful for the Superintendent Award as a capstone for her long career at the school before she moves on to Housatonic Valley Regional High School next year.

Photo by Alec Linden

Asia Haratyk

Sharon Center School

By Alec Linden

SHARON — Painter, actor, musician, polyglot and longboarder Asia Haratyk was “freaking out” when she heard she’d been chosen as SCS’ Superintendent Award recipient.

An eighth grader, she credits her teachers for helping her thrive and be herself during her three years at SCS and as she moves on to HVRHS next year. “These people brought me out,” she said.

A musical polymath, she’s played piano and saxophone for years and is just taking up the guitar, favoring jam-friendly tunes from bands such as the Grateful Dead. She’s also invested in the performing arts, having played Donkey in SCS’s April performance of Shrek Jr. Additionally, she’s a portrait artist, having drawn, for example, a striking image of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Coming from a Polish family, she still attends Polish Language School in New Britain on Saturdays, which she says is similar to her education at SCS but in Polish and with “way stricter” teachers.

Her bilingualism is important to her. She said she grew up hearing her mom say “Do wesela się zagoi,” an idiom which translates roughly to “it will heal by the wedding.”

“It’s telling you that you’re going to be ok,” she said. “I like it when people tell me that!”

Photo by Riley Klein

Donald Polk III

Cornwall Consolidated School

By Riley Klein

CORNWALL — Creativity, charisma and courtesy exude from Cornwall Consolidated School’s 2025 Superintendent Award winner Donald Polk III.

Polk’s artistic nature has propelled him to impressive feats as a young man in the Northwest Corner.

Last year, at 13 years old, his acrylic paintings were displayed in an art exhibit at National Iron Bank in Cornwall Bridge.

Later in 2024 Polk’s viral saxophone performance of “Flight of the Bumblebee” racked up millions of views on TikTok.

He continued to excel as a saxophonist this year, performing with Kent School’s jazz band in a concert April 22.

“We played ‘Spain’ by Chick Corea. We played ‘I Want You Back’ by the Jackson 5,” Polk said, adding that “I’m Beginning to See the Light” by Bobby Darin and “All-Star” by Smash Mouth were also on the set list.

Polk looks forward to attending Housatonic Valley Regional High School next year. He intends to continue his music career and also join the soccer, ski and track and field teams.

Photo by Ruth Epstein

Khyra McClennon

HVRHS

By Ruth Epstein

FALLS VILLAGE — Khyra McClennon likes to say she transferred herself to Housatonic at the start of her sophomore year. A resident of Amenia, New York, she wanted to be part of Housatonic’s FFA program, so she made the switch and is very glad she did. “There are so many opportunities here,” she said. “And everyone was so welcoming; they went out of their way to greet me.”

McClennon, 17, is the daughter of Clara Lovell and A.T. McClennon. She has been very active during her years at Housatonic as a member of the FFA, Student Government Association and the Healthy Women program. She participates in three sports: soccer, basketball and softball.

Among her favorite teachers are Lori Bucco and Julie Browning, while her favorite subjects are forensics and marine biology, so it’s no surprise she’ll be majoring in the latter next year at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Photo by Ruth Epstein

Katelin Lopes

HVRHS

By Ruth Epstein

FALLS VILLAGE — Katelin Lopes’ voice is well known throughout the school and the community. Her talent as a singer has been showcased in many performances and she’ll be continuing to pursue that area of study at Missouri State University in Springfield, majoring in a stage and screen program.

A resident of Falls Village and the daughter of Melissa and Manuel Lopes, the 18-year-old has been involved in many musical offerings at Housatonic throughout her four years, including the annual musicals, band, night choir and jazz band. She’s also played soccer and lacrosse, is vice president of her class and a member of LEAG. Her favorite course is music theory with Tom Krupa.

Lopes praises the school staff for being so flexible in allowing her to take time off to participate in musical opportunities.

“The teachers and administration really care for the students and serve as their advocates.”