US. POSTAGE PAID GLASTONBURY CITIZEN, INC. P.O. BOX 373, GLASTONBURY, CT, 06033 POSTAL CUSTOMER PRESORTED STANDARD LOCAL ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ RIVEREAST News Bulletin Serving Amston, Andover, Cobalt, Colchester, East Hampton, Hebron, Marlborough, Middle Haddam and Portland Volume 38, Number 10 Published by The Glastonbury Citizen June 21, 2013 East Hampton Native Wins ‘Miss USA’ Crown by Elizabeth Bowling East Hampton native Erin Brady traded in Berlet said. her “Miss Connecticut” title for the Miss USA “She’s always been the leader. She just had crown Sunday. that quality about her,” Brady’s grandmother Brady is the first Miss Connecticut USA to said. “She took the mother role when there were be named Miss USA in the 61-year history of problems with the parents. She’s the one they the pageant, and her family is very proud. look up to.” “We are all just so happy for her that she’s Theresa Brady said her granddaughter wants doing this,” Brady’s grandmother, Theresa to start a program in Connecticut for children Brady of East Hampton, said. “Our family has with alcoholic parents. never had anything like this so this is great.” Starting the program may prove to be a feat, The 25-year-old beauty queen is originally but Brady is used to working hard. When she from East Hampton but graduated from Port- was in high school, Brady used to be a hostess land High School in 2005. Up until being named at Max Amore in Glastonbury, where Berlet was Miss USA, Brady worked as a senior accoun- a bartender. tant for Prudential Financial in Hartford and Brady put herself through college – ulti- resided in South Glastonbury. mately becoming the first person in her family But for the next year, Brady will call New to graduate from college, Berlet said. Brady York City “home” because Donald Trump’s graduated with honors from Central Connecti- Miss USA organization set her up with an apart- cut State University, with a degree in finance. ment in the Big Apple and assigned her the duty Berlet remembers her friend working full of bringing awareness to its official cause, breast time to pay for her education and studying dur- and ovarian cancer. ing her breaks. Glastonbury resident Brooke Berlet, Brady’s “She takes care of everything by herself,” friend and former co-worker, said, “Honestly, Berlet said, and added, “She didn’t come from it was really amazing [that she won]. You Toddlers and Tiaras.” couldn’t ask for a better woman to represent Rather, the Miss USA pageant was only the girls and women in the United States.” third pageant Brady had ever entered. After fin- Berlet said that Brady will harness her nega- ishing runner-up in the Miss Connecticut pag- tive childhood experiences relating to substance eant in 2012, she ran again in 2013 and won East Hampton native and Portland High School alum Erin Brady is shown here abuse in her family and use them to be a posi- the title, which allowed her to compete in last after winning the Miss Connecticut crown in December. Bigger things awaited Brady, tive example of strength and perseverance. weekend’s show. She simply put her mind to though, as on Sunday she took home the “Miss USA” title as well. She became the She’s already set an example to her younger something and succeeded, typical of Brady, first Connecticut resident to win the national pageant in its 61-year history. sisters and “pretty much showed them the way,” See Miss USA Page 2 Portland High Class of 2013, Small and Special by Elizabeth Bowling ates, the number “13” wasn’t so unlucky after With a thunderstorm booming in the hours all. Rather, the Class of 2013 proved to be ex- leading up to the Portland High School Class ceptional. of 2013 graduation, the intimate ceremony was Class president Michael Tammaro agreed moved indoors to the school’s auditorium Tues- that his class was truly exceptional. He spoke day, June 18. proudly about its success in fundraising, ath- The rain came down relentlessly and PHS letic distinctions and academic awards like the Principal Andrea Lavery joked to the full audi- Governor’s Scholar Award. He was confident torium and those in the cafeteria watching on a that his classmates would branch out from Port- big screen, “[moving the ceremony indoors] land and do great things throughout their lives, was a difficult call to make, but I think it was like serve in the armed forces or attend college the right choice.” across the country. The procession was led by a man playing the Valedictorian Adam Harris, who will attend bagpipes, followed by school administration, Yale University next year and study chemistry, followed by the graduates. The girls wore red was confident in the future of his class, too. caps and gowns and the boys wore black. “Tonight we celebrate not just the accom- The small class, made up of 83 students, was plishments of the past four years, but the many a “close-knit” group, salutatorian Alexa Decina accomplishments that are still to come,” Harris said. said. “We are special,” Decina said. “I think half He thanked his classmates for being such a of it has to do with Portland and the other half big part of his life through the words of Win- is simply luck, and maybe our parents, that a ston Churchill. He said, “Now this is not the group of students as driven as my classmates end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But all ended up together.” it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Decina will attend Duke University next year Harris and Tammaro both commented on where she will study finance, but, she said while how small their class is, compared to other high choking back tears, “I’ll always take a piece of schools. Laura Katherine Wall embraces her mother as classmates and Principal Andrea Portland with me.” “The size of our class is a conversation- Lavery look on. Marcy Wall was called up to the stage to present her daughter with Lavery said that for the 83 Portland gradu- See Portland High Page 2 her diploma. Cover Story ï Cover Story ï Cover Story ï Cover Story ï Cover Story ï Cover Story ï Cover Story ï Cover Story ï Cover Story ï Cover Story ï Cover Story ï Salutatorian Alexa Decina, left, who will attend Duke University in the fall, gets choked up during her speech at Tuesday night’s indoor graduation. She looked back fondly at the good times and laughs she shared with her classmates throughout the years. At right, the “close-knit” group of 83 graduates throw their caps in the air after receiving their diplomas in front of administrators, faculty, staff, family and friends. Portland High cont. from Front Page starter,” Tammaro said. “This may be the first all of our journeys will be bound by a common DeCrescenzo, Soleybe A. Diaz, *#>^Elizabeth Lynn Pititto, ^Cody Revicki, Casey A. Richer, and only time you will attend a high school thread,” he said. “Although we may someday Anne Dickerson, ^Jake Etienne, Alyssa T. ^John Rosano, Cassidy Rose, Rebecca Renee graduation where the entire senior class can fit forget the names or faces of some of our class- Feldman, *#>^Erin Fitzpatrick, Joshua I. Rustek, #^Matthew W. Ryan, Trey Salvatore, on the same stage with the presenter.” mates, we will forever be touched by the les- Fontanez, >Craig D. Fortin, Timothy Fraulino, >Noelle Katherine Sanders, Austin Paul Harris jokingly bragged that the PHS foot- sons we have learned from each other.” ^Andrew H. Geres, Ian Christopher Gotta, Scrivano, #>^Philip A. Shattuck, ^Beau T. ball team didn’t lose a single game last season, Members of the Portland High School Class Katherine Guliani, Nathaniel ^Joseph Hardesty, Sienkiewicz, Alexis Dorothy Steele, ^Michaela but that’s because PHS doesn’t have a football of 2013 are: *#>+^Adam S. Harris, Kevin Michael Susan Stokke, Nicholas Ryan Stokke, Jayquan team. ^Stephen Michael Agogliati, *#>^Rebekah Hoffman, #^Rebecca Claire Johnson, ^John T. Swain, #>^Michael R. Tammaro, Leonard “It’s tough to let go of a small class; it’s like Anderson, Devon Gabrielle Arce, ^Kyle Rob- Kelley III, #>Rachel E. Kostraba, #>^Evelyn A. Teape, Carl S. Thorell, >^Megan Rae Wache, a family,” graduate Katelynn Benoit said im- ert Armstrong, #^Aidan J. Bauer, ^Katelynn Blake Law, Richard Le, Joshua H. Leary, #>^Paige Catherine Wache, Sacred Walden, mediately following the hour-long ceremony. Michelle Benoit, Erin Helen Bials, #>^Nicho- #>^Brianna Marie Marconi, Ana Gabriela #>Laura Katherine Wall, Gina Marie Waller, “I don’t know what I feel. I’m going to South- las Bruce Blanchard, *#>^Justin Earl Brown, Marroquin, ^Liam Terrence McCar-thy, Shaun >Samantha Rene Weber, >Kaitlin Mary Wil- ern [Connecticut State University] for nursing Lukasz Mikolaj Burke, Benjamin K. Caisse, McMiller, ^Owen Ian Mooney, Joshua son, #^Michele Lyn Ziegler. so I’m excited about that. *#^Elizabeth Lauren Casserino, ^Michael An- Morehouse, *#^Sarah Veronica Nesci, ^Kelsey *Top 10 percent of the class - Yellow Cords; Graduate Collin Dapkus reflected upon his thony Catanzaro, #^Steven Kyle Churchill, Evelyn Oakliff, #>^Daniel Joseph Onofrio, #National Honor Society - White Cords; >Tri- time at PHS and said, “I’m glad the four years *#^Katie Lynn Coleman, Amber Converse, ^Tristan Santo Pantano, Dillon Michelle M Music Honor Society - Pink Cords; +Vale- are done and I’m looking forward to the future.” #^Maria D’Angelo, #^Justin Danielewicz, Pelotte, Abigail Elizabeth Perrotti, #Cassidy dictorian; ++Salutatorian; ^CAPT Mastery, all Harris summed it up in his speech. “While Megan Marie Danielewicz, Collin Michael Nicole Phelps, #>^Alyssa Maya Phillips, ^Erica tests our paths will, after tonight, begin to diverge, Dapkus, *#>++^Alexa Decina, Mathew Peter Cover Story ï Cover Story ï Cover Story ï Cover Story ï Cover Story ï Cov Miss USA cont.