The week in photos – August 22, 2024

The Audubon Society’s Wildlife Guards recently conducted a guided shorebird walk and the participants got to see a few species of plovers, terns, gulls & many other types of shorebirds on the marsh side of Sandy Point Bird Sanctuary. The annual event brings out bird enthusiasts from all over the area. Shown here -- An Audubon Society tour guide explains some of the species walkers could expect to encounter during the event.

Armed with cooking utensils, campers of the Department of Parks and Recreation’s Summer Camp learn cooking and grilling skills from culinary expert Meg Kingston, left, at a camp cookout Aug. 8. Kingston, the food service director of West Haven Public Schools, taught a weekly cooking class during the camp’s two-week session in Painter Park, where campers made smoothies, chicken quesadillas, chocolate chip cookies and meatballs.

West Haven Community House Children and Youth Services Director Carol James, right, receives the West Haven Interagency Network for Children’s “Way to Go!” award from West Haven Youth and Family Services Director Diane Dietman at the Community House’s Staff Development Day. The event marked the last day of James’ “wonderful” career at the Community House, a not-for-profit social service agency based at 227 Elm St. in West Haven. Dietman presented the framed award to James on behalf of WHINC, a department of Youth and Family Services, for “providing services and resources to families of disabled children, youth and young adults.

Amy Guay-Macfarlane, Executive Director gives an award to Carol James who retired as Director of Children and Youth Services after 27 years of employment.

Deborah Wright, Assistant Executive Director of Finance and Shelia Casey, Head Start Health Services Manager receive awards for achieving their 15th year of employment with West Haven Community House.

Ronald Quagliani, incoming president of the West Haven Community House, takes the gavel from outgoing president Katie Farrell who ended her three-year term. Farrell’s term saw the agency come out of the pandemic, the hiring a new executive director and showed growth in all programs.

Emergency Management Director Rick Fontana, joined by Mayor Dorinda Borer, right, and chief of staff Rick Spreyer, leads a hurricane readiness exercise for city and public safety officials in the Emergency Operations Center at City Hall on July 31.

Westie Jason Heffernan will perform from 9:30-11 a.m. Sept. 1 at the Oak Street pier, off Captain Thomas Boulevard, as part of the city's Acoustic Sunday Morning Concert Series. Grab a coffee and a beach chair and chill out to classic and modern rock ditties played by one of West Haven’s finest troubadours.

Beach lifeguards of the Department of Parks and Recreation show their new Narcan emergency overdose kits with Emergency Management Director Rick Fontana, right, and Pool and Waterfront Coordinator Margaret Ruggiero, second from right, on the city’s shoreline boardwalk Aug. 7. From left, lifeguards Geffen Waterman, Brandon Sihaphong, Jeffery Flores-Copa, Chris Holt, Molly Wilson, Daniela Velez, Isaiah Correia, Haley Lippard, Brooke Nebor, Caly Nyack, Amber Militrano and Anglin Hebert.

The 11-0 Yellow Team, the 7-to-10-year-old champions of the Department of Parks and Recreation’s boys summer basketball league, show their medals at the Veterans Memorial Park courts on Bull Hill Lane on July 29. Front row, from left: Keegan Conte, Trevor Griffin, Sterling Masterson, Trevor Davis, Chase Conte and Noah Patterson. Back row, from left: Coach Levi Jordan, Dominik Schmitt, Desmond “D.J.” Lymon Jr., Ahkeem Bowens, Nasir Santiago, Levi Jordan and coach Ahkeem Bowens Sr. The 10-1 Black Team, the 11-to-14-year-old champs of Park-Rec’s boys summer basketball league, show their medals at the Veterans Memorial Park courts July 29. Front row, from left: Lonnie Bunch, Marquie Brooks, Justin Perez and Jackson Gabriel. Back row, from left: Coach Don Simmons, J’Mir Aranjo, Jade Avery, Lucio Lara, Tristan Crawford, Dwayne Sample and Logan Pascarella. The league, supervised by Park-Rec program coordinator Brian Hayden, just capped its 24th season.

West Haven native John Ascenzia, Class of 2015, has been named to the University of Bridgeport Hall of Fame. He joins two other inductees, Gymnast Emily Repko (Class of ’12) and UB Basketball Coach David Boykin (Class of ’11). The induction is scheduled for Oct. 19. At West Haven High School he was a three-year All-SCC starter, leading the Blue Devils to the 2009 CIAC Class LL Championship. At the University of Bridgeport, John was a four-year starter and three-year Captain. He was selected to receive the Rawlings/ABCA Gold Glove Award for the best defensive shortstop in Collegiate baseball. In his four-year career he was selected to All-Region and All-Conference team twice. In 2016, John started his professional career, playing two seasons in the Frontier League with the River City Rascals and Florance Freedom. He now is a hitting instructor with the Grind, where he specializes in fielding and hitting.