Region One superintendent impressed by community bonds

Melony Brady-Shanley is the new superintendent of Region One School District.

Patrick L. Sullivan

Region One superintendent impressed by community bonds

FALLS VILLAGE — Region One Superintendent Melony Brady-Shanley said in her first weeks on the job she has been impressed by “how connected every community is to their schools.”

Brady-Shanley met with a Lakeville Journal reporter in her office Monday, Sept. 23.

She started on July 1, and has met with all six Region One town school boards, the Region One board and related committees.

She said she was struck by the depth of support compared to other parts of the state.

That level of involvement has been “the common denominator” in all her conversations with community members.

Brady-Shanley said she is not interested “in changing everything that’s working.” Rather, she is getting to know all the people involved and thinking about “how to enhance the district.”

She was enthusiastic about the middle school sports program. “We’re at capacity,” she said.

And as the middle school athletes enter high school, they are more prepared for their sports.

A promotional campaign, “We are Region One,” is underway, with the goal of encouraging parents to keep their children in Region One schools from Kindergarten to 12th grade.

“We want to highlight and market and show what’s happening” in the seven Region One schools.

Brady-Shanley is beefing up the region’s presence on Facebook and Instagram as well.

“We’ll work across these platforms to get the message out.”

“There are so many opportunities here,” she said. “We need to highlight and publicize them.”

Latest News

East Canaan's CowPots to face the 'Sharks'

Amanda Freund of East Canaan will appear on the television show "Shark Tank" on April 4 to pitch CowPots.

Photo by Ruth Epstein

CANAAN — Fans of the television show “Shark Tank,” stay tuned. On Friday, April 4, Amanda Freund of East Canaan will be facing the panel, imploring members to invest in her unique product: cow poop.

Freund and her father Matthew Freund produce and market CowPots, which are made from the abundance of manure found on their dairy farm. Matthew Freund, realizing cows were producing more manure — 100 pounds per cow per day — than was needed for fertilizing fields for crops, came up with the concept of the pots. Years of trial-and-error experimentation finally resulted in success. In 2006 he began selling the biodegradable pots using 100% composted manure to local stores. Now the pots can be found in outlets across the country, as well as internationally.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hotchkiss lacrosse ices Kingswood Oxford 19-0

LAKEVILLE — The Hotchkiss School opened the girls varsity lacrosse season with a big win in the snow against Kingswood Oxford School.

The Bearcats won 19-0 in a decisive performance March 26. Twelve different players scored for Hotchkiss, led by Coco Sheronas with four goals.

Keep ReadingShow less
HVRHS releases second quarter honor roll

FALLS VILLAGE — Principal Ian Strever announces the second quarter marking period Honor Roll at Housatonic Valley Regional High School for the 2024-2025 school year.

Highest Honor Roll

Grade 9: Parker Beach (Cornwall), Mia Belter (Salisbury), Lucas Bryant (Cornwall), Addison Green (Kent), Eliana Lang (Salisbury), Alison McCarron (Kent), Katherine Money (Kent), Mira Norbet (Sharon), Abigail Perotti (North Canaan), Karmela Quinion (North Canaan), Owen Schnepf (Wassaic), Federico Vargas Tobon (Salisbury), Emery Wisell (Kent).

Keep ReadingShow less
Thomas Ditto

ANCRAMDALE — Thomas Ditto of Ancramdale, born Thomas David DeWitt Aug. 11, 1944 in New York City changing his surname to Ditto at marriage, passed peacefully on Pi Day, March 14, 2025. He was a husband, father, artist, scientist, Shakespeare scholar, visionary, inventor, actor, mime, filmmaker, clown, teacher, lecturer, colleague, and friend. Recipient of numerous grants, awards and honors in both the arts and sciences, a Guggenheim and NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts fellow, he was a creative genius beyond his time. In addition to authoring scores of papers, he held several patents and invented the first motion capture system and the Ditto-scope, a radically new kind of telescope. He was a pioneer in computer generated video, film, and performance.

When not hard at work, he was always there to help when needed and he knew how to bring smiles to faces. He loved his family and pets and was supportive of his wife’s cat rescue work.

Keep ReadingShow less