Westport, Connecticut: Coleytown Junior High/Middle School

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SPECIAL NOTICE

This notice is for one of our own Billy Palladino, Staples H.S. graduate, class of 1968. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in November of 2009 and has been hospitalized since Feb. 6, when complications from throat cancer surgery in November robbed him of his ability to speak. He had an operation where they removed his epiglottis, the flap that covers the trachea during swallowing so that food does not enter the lungs. He had a Tracheotomy and now is unable to speak. He is presently in Danbury Hospital and is receiving Chemotherapy and Radiation and hoping to go home soon.

With all this going on for Bill, another tragedy struck his family. His wife, Janice Ann McClenathan Palladino, age 45, passed away from a massive heart attack on February 11, 2010 at her home in Sandy Hook, CT. She was also a Staples High School Graduate, class of 1983. Not only did his wife meticulously prepare meals that were injected through the feeding tube Bill had implanted after his surgery and monitor his medications, her full-time job at a small manufacturing company in Oxford provided the health insurance that covered the bulk of his medical bills.

Now there is no income for family and they don't know how long the insurance from Janice's job will cover Billy's medical bills. They have 2 daughters, Michelle and Sarah Palladino who are both in college.

We want to let you know that a trust fund has been set up for Billy and his family at:

Newtown Savings Bank
30 Main Street
Danbury CT 06810
Phone: (203) 205-0080

For those of you that want to contact him or send get well cards to, his home contact information is:

Bill Palladino
7 Overlook Knoll
Sandy Hook CT 06482
(203) 426-8960

Here are some links for more information:

Article on Billy in the Danbury News Times, Feb. 21, 2010.

Obituary from the Westport News on Janice Ann McClenathan Palladino.

Please help out where you can. Collectively we can all make a difference for Billy and his family, no matter what the $ amount is. Words of support are also needed if you can't make a donation during these hard times.

Thank you, Shelby Goodlett Pike

Coleytown Junior High/Middle School Bulletin Board To add an entry on this board, please log in or sign up.
I went on a trip with Mac Farland to Florida during Easter Week 1965 or 66, can't remember which. I remember you Meg. I was at Colytown living in Westport for just three years, 1963-66. My brother Rusty was a year ahead of me. The trip was memorable. The night we spent in Jacksonville, FL there was a KKK rally. Unreal.	Peter Fritsch 1971 view posts Monday, 08/23/2010 07:33:05
I too have memories of Mr. MacFarland at Coleytown. Remember his requirement to hand in your classroom notes? You had to take notes, and then re-write them in a more formal version. It sounds crazy, but I used that method throygh high school, college and graduate school. Thanks Mr. Mac!	Mark Schwemmer 1974 view posts Thursday, 04/29/2010 07:27:35
Does anyone have any info on science teacher Charles Boyle? He always wore a bow tie. He taught at Bedford Jr High and moved to Coleytown when it opened.	Clare Mills 1969 view posts Friday, 06/12/2009 19:03:46
One of the best teachers I ever had in my life was at Coleytown - Mr. Pepe, Geometry, 1966-67.	Bruce Jones 1970 view posts Saturday, 05/02/2009 17:28:16
Hi Meg, I was at Coleytown at 71 as well. I did not however have a chance to go on a trip with Mr. Mac. Glad to see you here.	Patti Green Fischer 1974 view posts Thursday, 04/30/2009 20:58:09
Did anyone ever go on one of Mr. Mac's Florida trips in his yellow VW camper bus? Birdwatching in the Everglades? Mr. MacFarland was my favorite Science teacher.	Meg Clary Bisharat 1971 view posts Friday, 02/27/2009 06:12:05
Dear Stephanie, I remember Mr. Papp. He was a brilliant music teacher. I've thought about him often. In fact I would not have been able to sing with Rod Stewart had I not been in his class and had the music education I received from him. He was very serious - remember? Some people thought he was mean, but he just was good at teaching and he wanted everyone to listen to him. I respected him a great deal. He was an amazing conductor. I remember him knowing exactly how to form a group of musicians and make them sound so professional in just a matter of weeks. I don't know of course where is is today. I hope he is somewhere making his own music. I remember learning a lot about Mozart, Bach and Beethoven from him.	Andria Savio 1981 view posts Tuesday, 12/02/2008 11:25:07
I just read Honor's memory of Mr. Hansen and Katy's response. He was courageous, and I think often of how cruel many were to him. I wonder how long he stayed at Coleytown. Anyone know?	Lisa Kaplan Steier 1976 view posts Saturday, 11/29/2008 14:47:51
Does anyone remember Jim Papp, the music teacher? Anyone know whatever happened to him?	Stephanie Kantor 1975 view posts Saturday, 11/29/2008 13:28:12
Honor, I love your memory about Mr. Hansen. What a couragous man. I enjoyed Mr. Sisson and all of his knowledge of China.	Katy Hickey Barman 1976 view posts Thursday, 11/27/2008 13:58:40
Dear Old Friends and Classmates, Hello! I was surfing the internet and found this website. I am so glad you're all here. What a great idea. I remember Coleytown to be one of the best experiences of my education. Everyone was so nice to me. I remember the beach and the french fries and the "Sun-in" spray bleach we put in our hair to go blonde blonde. Those were fun days. Coleytown Jr. High was a very exclusive school, and I was proud to be a part of it. Dana Goldsmith called me not too long ago saying Phoebe S. wanted to find me so they searched for me and did a good job. I of course told my father not to give out my number again, but it was fun to hear from her. I miss Maggie Barnett. Anyone hear from her or know where she is? Anyway, I remember learning more in Westport regarding my education than anywhere else I attended school, and the impact it has had on me. I remember going to France and suddenly being able to speak fluent French, and suddenly realizing my Jr. High school was responsible, though at the time, I wondered when I would ever use or remember the difficult classes and those tests that drove me up the wall. Still we somehow find as life goes by that through the years, all these things we were told we had to learn were important and though sometimes we may have not understood why algebra or all that science is going to matter, suddenly it does, and you become grateful you know what you know, and then one day you realize how important school is for the real world. So to the new people, stay in school, eventually it all works out for a reason, and hopefully for the best. --- Hollywood was fun, and I enjoyed making movies. I will go back again some day and make more. For now I am a widow, and I am raising my 15 year old son, Preston. We are very happy in Florida, and some day I look forward to visiting Westport, and maybe move back. Who knows. The pictures bring back such good memories. It was sad to hear about Paul Newman, and being born on the same day as Joanne Woodward, I always felt a kind of connecion to him, in a personal way. I met him again in Santa Barbara when he was racing with his team in the mid-eighties. He will be missed all over the world. I know especially there at home. I hope the Westport Playhouse continues to work with Joanne Woodward and puts on many more wonderful plays and shows with her as the director. I would love to perform there some day. It would be a dream come true. Well, take care guys, and my gal pals, and enjoy your holidays this year. I'll be thinking of you. Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. ~Shalom~ (Peace) With love, Andria Savio	Andria Savio 1981 view posts Wednesday, 11/26/2008 11:40:36
Hey Robin, sorry I didn't answer your quest. I had made contact with both Mrs. Chip & Mr. Welch some years ago. He was actually the pricipal at that time & she was about to move to fl. I found them on the school's site. Hey Andre!	Dorita Bridges 1981 view posts Saturday, 10/04/2008 06:55:55
I too loved my time at Coleytown. I was one of the cheerleaders & that time just seemed to be the best, most carefree time ever. So many memories, cheerleading w/ Ms. Chip-always threatening us to not cheer with our throats or we'll sound like her, Mr. Welch, snow days, gospel choir, talent shows (chocolate chips), fruit in the vending machines-we need that in the schools here now. When I was attending, we spent our freshman year at CJHS. I had to move after my sophomore year at Staples & I really missed graduating with my class. I would love to get in touch with anyone from that time.	Dorita Bridges 1981 view posts Thursday, 10/02/2008 20:23:47
I loved my 8th grade year at Coleytown. I believe that was the year that American Graffiti was released and we put on a 50's day with a dance Friday night. I worked hard finding something to wear and do with my hair. We had a cool DJ to play all the great tunes and the lights were low (my kids middle school dances are during the day...). Coleytown had many talented music groups and put on a very thoughtful winter concert with a mixed media presentation complete with images, poetry, movement and the orchestra and choir. In the spring the chorus opened the new ampetheter over the former landfill with a concert. It was so hot that night several of my girlfriends passed out on the risers. But the most fun was a leaders club co-ed overnight in the gym. We were able to socialize and play basketball with the guys until around midnight but after that the big slidng door was closed so the gyms were separate and we stayed up most of the night trying to figure out how to bug them. We danced and gossiped in our pjs until the sun came up. I don't remember many more chaperones than our gym teachers Ms. Brennan and Ms. Jones. That was probably the first all-nighter of many in my youth that I pulled.	Laurel Rech 1978 view posts Saturday, 07/12/2008 01:07:10
Hi everyone. I went to Coleytown Middle School. Does anyone know what happend to Mr. Welch? He was the Vice Principal while I was there. Thanks.	Robin Weissman 1980 view posts Friday, 05/16/2008 01:05:41
My most uplifting memory of Coleytown (there are many which are not, too numerous to mention here) is of Peter Hansen, social studies teacher, who having suffered from polio and its after-affects, forged on year after year as if nothing at all were unusual about him.	Honor Heath 1976 view posts Tuesday, 08/29/2000 18:51:24
Our new School..wow. Was it cool or what? New friends, meeting up with old ones. It seemed like we knew and were friends with everyone. I remember being in awe of Mim and all her talents, being a greaser for a week with Sharon, laughing with Sue Curtis, Barb Bassman's slumber party where the guys showed up, Charlie's morning announcement about my new shoes. Mr. Christianson admonishing me that I had been to the office too many times and to leave poor Mrs. McCoy alone. (if you are reading this Mrs. McCoy, I am really sorry) Michelle Meagher and I made fun of the poor woman, saying froggy to her face. She was a nice lady..she was just an easy target. We did some serious laughing at her expense. Did we have some good looking guys in our class or what? You know who you are. I had a crush on a different guy every week. Between Chou and I we had crushes on them all. Having a boyfriend back then entailed nothing more than declaring it and walking and talking together and the obligatory notes passed back and forth. I remember that waiting to see if you invited to the next party was nerve wracking and a sure sign that you were accepted if you were. That was also time I started my life long friendship with Pat Filson. She, Mary Ann Bock and I were great friends..our friendship was based on ...what else?? Laughter. I discovered my artistic talent in Mr. Dudek's art class and my love of writing with Mr. Cushman. And yes, Mrs. McCoy, my passion for cooking had a little to do with your homemaking class...although having the world's best cook as a mother didn't hurt. Gym class was a nightmare the girls who were actually developed. I don't know about anyone else but I was oblivious to (or have blocked out) any negative stuff in school..I loved every minute.	Mary Palmieri Gai 1970 view posts Tuesday, 08/29/2000 01:25:59
I think all of my favorite memories are of Coleytown and the wonderful friends I had but seemed to lose touch of at Staples. I'll never forget art classes and in Mr. Lasala's class how he had the sign over the clock that said "Time Will Pass Will You" All during school I would always think of that as I glanced at the clock in class. I'm doing great! I'm getting married to a wonderful guy on May 13, 2000. I've never been happier and I hope all my old friends from Coleytown are all doing well. I would love to hear from any of you! Angela, Jennifer V, Tina, Tracy, Elise and anyone else I can't remember at the moment.	Molly Hale Perrou 1990 view posts Tuesday, 08/29/2000 04:48:32

Coleytown Junior High/Middle School Image Gallery

Please send any images you'd like added to the gallery to admin@westporters.com. Include as much information about the picture as you can: Who is in it, when and where it was taken. Thanks!

1971 Baseball team, from yearbook
Sent in by Adam Schwartz, Staples '75