You can’t put a mask on enthusiasm. THOMPSON VILLAGER Friday, April 9, 2021 Serving Thompson since 2005 Complimentary to homes by request HIGH SCHOOL NOTEBOOK ‘Grateful’ Centaurs enjoy abbreviated hockey season BY KEN POWERS ment was right on the mark. SPORTS CORRESPONDENT “This was my first year WOODSTOCK — What a as a head coach, so I still long, strange trip it’s been. don’t even know what a typ- The Woodstock Academy ical season even looks like,” girls’ ice hockey team didn’t said the 25-year-old Millar, exist when the Grateful Dead who arrived in Woodstock wrote that lyric as part of in July from her hometown, the song “Truckin’” in 1970. which is located just north The lyric, however, does of Toronto, the capital city accurately describe the wild- of the Canadian province of ness and wackiness of the Ontario. Centaurs’ 2020-21 season. The Centaurs finished the In a game recap follow- season with a 1-2 record. ing the team’s final game, a Because of the global coro- 3-1 loss to the Connecticut navirus pandemic and all Northern Lights Girls’ the protocols put in place as Hockey Program on Sunday, a result of the outbreak of March 21, Woodstock the COVID-19 virus, Millar’s Academy sports informa- team, which competes in tion director Marc Allard the Central Mass. Hockey referred to the year as an League, was not allowed to “abbreviated, pandemic-pro- play any games outside of Photo Courtesy tocol-interrupted season.” Connecticut. The Woodstock Academy girls’ ice hockey team celebrated senior night recently, honoring its upperclassmen, Centaurs’ coach Maddie from left, Kileigh Gagnon, Ciara MacKinnon, Maddie Silbermann, Eliza Dutson, and Lizzie Silbermann. A sixth Millar said Allard’s assess- Please Read CENTAURS, page A5 senior, Maria Santucci, was unavailable at the time the picture was taken. Woodstock Academy students serving the community WOODSTOCK — It is “From being in B Club, I she said. important in today’s education have learned a lot about giving Like so many who attend to go beyond the classroom. back to my community and The Woodstock Academy, Fortunately at The Woodstock being involved with people MacWilliams added that Academy, there are plenty of in it,” Woodstock Academy she started to understand former students who are in junior Sydney Haskins said. the importance of commu- positions to help the current “This will stay with me in my nity while in school and has students understand their future, and I will always do since built on that sense of world even better than from what I can to help others.” unity, bringing it with her to just a book. After the talk and tour, the Christopher’s Haven. It is just Recently the B Club at The B club made a donation to one example of the sense of car- Woodstock Academy paid a Christopher’s Haven. ing that Woodstock Academy virtual visit to Christopher’s Christopher’s Haven is works diligently to instill in its Haven, a home in Boston pro- run by WA alumna Catie student body. viding support and a sense of MacWilliams. MacWilliams The B Club is one of sev- community for children and first connected with B Club in eral school organizations that their families while they battle 2016 at a difficult time when are designed to not only have cancer. B Club students took her son was battling a brain a positive influence with- Killingly a virtual tour of the facility tumor. “The B club was gener- in The Woodstock Academy and developed a greater under- ous enough and worked end- community but to also extend standing and compassion for lessly to make sure we had their reach beyond the hal- the challenges these families money to help us pay for med- among towns to face. ical bills. It was a blessing,” Please Read COMMUNITY, page A10 host mobile Woodstock school buses soon vaccination unit to have dash cams BY JASON BLEAU We will continue to take every CONTRIBUTING WRITER step possible, working with KILLINGLY – Killingly is one our network of vaccine provid- of seventeen communities in ers, and with the support of Connecticut chosen to host one our Congressional delegation to of FEMA’s mobile vaccination ensure our distribution is equi- units that debuted in March. table and touching every corner In a release from Gov. Ned of our state.” Lamont’s office on March According to the Governor, 29 providing updates on the state is working with local Connecticut’s continued fight partners to target high-risk and against COVID-19, the full list vulnerable populations to make of communities that will host them aware of the mobile vac- the mobile vaccination units cination unit and scheduling designed to help increase appointments. Medical staff- access to vaccines to fight the ing will be provided by UConn pandemic was revealed with Health, Griffin Health, Hartford Killingly as the sole participant HealthCare, and Trinity Health in the Quiet Corner area. The of New England with the two-trailer unit will be travel- National Guard also expected ing across the state over the to staff the unit with non-clin- next two months. ical personnel. The unit is “The partnership with FEMA expected to provide at least 250 Photo Courtesy and the federal government has vaccinations a day utilizing the Pictured, left to right: Jen Beams, Leslie Holland, George McCoy, Jerilyn Dupuis and Dr. Jeff Gordon. been exceptional, providing single-dose Johnson & Johnson support to our state during this vaccine. BY JEFFREY GORDON buses in an effort to catch motorists who As of April 5, Connecticut WOODSTOCK SAFETY PATROL critical time as we continue to unlawfully pass school buses during pick-ups move as fast as possible to vac- recorded 314,000 cases of AND GEORGE MCCOY and drop offs. cinate as many residents as we COVID-19 and 7,904 deaths. DATTCO TRANSPORTATION McCoy at that time was also president of can,” Governor Lamont said in Windham County recorded 9,941 cases with 188 cases to WOODSTOCK — When a Woodstock school the Woodstock Safety Patrol and quickly a statement. “This first-in-the- recruited local resident Leslie Holland for the nation mobile vaccination unit date. Statistics show that more bus was passed on the passenger loading than 23 percent of Connecticut side last fall by an irate motorist, bus driver task. It soon became apparent to Ms. Holland is a vital tool in our toolbox that following school buses might not be the to reach communities across residents have been fully vac- George McCoy made an offer to his super- cinated against the virus, while visor, Dattco Transportation Woodstock most effective way to catch red light viola- Connecticut which have been disproportionately impacted nearly 40 percent have received Terminal Manager Jerilyn Dupuis, to have at least one dose of the vaccine. the Woodstock Safety Patrol shadow school Please Read DASH CAM, page A6 by the COVID-19 pandemic. A2 • Friday, April 9, 2021 VILLAGER NEWSPAPERS News from Aprils past for its time. If you have not seen it, take on November 15, 1920 in Hartford. He York evening papers…If Danielson a drive some day. You’ll be pleasantly was 58 years old. (Nov. 18, 1920, p. 18; doesn’t want a summer during which surprised. newspapers.com). Taylor was interred passenger train service on the New KILLINGLY In 1921, as more families were pur- in Grove Street Cemetery in Putnam. Haven road will mean very little in chasing and driving automobiles, much (findagrave;ancestry.com). the way of what is left of the service, it AT 300 construction was being done to improve One hundred years ago the trains might be well to hold a few mass prayer the roads of the State. “Attention is were frequent visitors to Killingly and meetings; apparently nothing else will being given to the repair of the state Putnam. Most families did not yet have help avert an arrangement that will MARGARET highway between Danielson and automobiles. “Manufacturing and busi- be highly irritating in delaying mails, WEAVER Brooklyn, which has become a much ness interests here were discussing in depriving patrons of the road of the traveled route and which will be a part Wednesday a tentative schedule for pas- most popular trains and in otherwise of the main line to Willimantic as soon senger train service on the New Haven upsetting what have come to be consid- I thought that I’d extract some tid- as the state road between Brooklyn and road through this place to be inaugurat- ered as normal conditions because New bits of items in the news in Aprils Hampton, now under construction, is ed April 24. A few like it, but the great York, Providence and other cities are past. I’m writing this version on April completed.” (Norwich Bulletin, April majority do not... As near as could be still monkeying with the daylight sav- 2, a cold morning in the low thirties, 14, 1921, p. 6; newspapers.com) learned on Wednesday, and the follow- ing bugaboo.” (Norwich Bulletin, April with a few snow flakes. The follow- “Legislators paused in their work at ing data is not represented as being 14, 1921, p. 6; newspapers.com). ing seems appropriate. “A storm that Hartford Tuesday to pay a tribute to the official, Danielson’s train service on The same edition of the paper had the covered the ground with the ‘beauti- late ‘Souvenir’ William Harrison Taylor and after April 24 and for the summer following: “Daylight saving will not fig- ful snow’ occurred Tuesday, April 4, of this city (Putnam) and Hartford, for season is intended to be something like ure much in the scheme of things in the followed by rain all day Wednesday.