Remembering Mikey ... Car Wash ... Schools ... Nantucket

REMEMBERING MIKEY  

People leave this world all the time; some also leave their mark on this world. There could not be a better description for one of our New Canaan Family's favorite kids, Mikey Czech. You would have had to have just moved into town yesterday to not know all about Mikey.  People all over New Canaan knew Mikey from school, sports, church. He was one of those kids with the kind of heart and personality that reached out and touched everyone. And when he got really sick it really mattered.  

This week marks the second anniversary of Mikey's death after he and his family's completely courageous battle against a very rare and aggressive pediatric brain cancer. Mikey's cancer was diagnosed on his 11th bithday on Jan. 6, 2008, and he passed away eight months later on Sept. 7, 2008. His parents Jen and Steve set up The Mikey Czech Foundation dedicated to pediatric brain cancer research. Their goal is to raise $6 million to help find a cure especially for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas, or "DIPG," the rare pediatric brainstem tumor that afflicted Mikey.

Jen Czech told About Town: "This is such a hard week for us and thank you for keeping Mikey in your thoughts. We are so blessed that he still remains in the hearts of so many people here in New Canaan where we have gotten so much support!"

So, let's designate Sept. 7 in New Canaan to be "Mikey's Day!" A day to slow down and smell the roses, not be completely absorbed in our work, sports and school pursuits and achievements. Make it a day to be kinder and more generous to each other. Let us step back and honor Steve and Jen for the work they are doing in the Foundation in memory of their sweet boy. And instead of worrying about what will happen tomorrow, give thanks for your healthy kids today.

SPEEDOS TO STRING BIKINIS

The air was brisk on Saturday morning, Sept. 4, but that did not put a damper on the energy and exuberance of the New Canaan High School Rams Girl's Swim Team as they launched their annual car wash. The goal was to raise enough money to offset the cost of their racing suits and caps. However, for this event, there was not a Speedo in sight. Instead, the girls donned their skimpiest two-pieces (accessorized with an occasional rolled-way-down track short bottom) and providing plenty of team elbow grease, lathered up, hosed down and wiped dry the long line of cars that streamed into their makeshift "carwash" assembled in the NCHS front parking lot.

When there was a lull in the traffic, the girls could be seen waving their "Car Wash Here" signs out on South Avenue! Swim team mom Kathy Salvo said, "NCHS sports teams throw many car washes throughout the year but ours is always the most successful when 30 beautiful girls are out there wearing string bikinis!"

Most of their customers seemed happy to break their usual Saturday morning routine at the New Canaan Car Spa and divert their funds to "Ram Country" for a good cause! The girls washed about 300 cars in four hours! And their payoff was that they raised over $3,000! Good thing head coach Dave Fine is also a NCHS Math teacher. He can help the girls make sure they got an accurate count.

Those pricey "Lzr" suits that were featured in the last Olympics are now outlawed. So, soon-to-be attired in brand new Speedos, the NCHS Ram Girls will dive into their 2010 season with an away meet on Sept. 22 at Trumbull. Assisting Dave is NCHS English teacher, Kat Munson. Sounds like the perfect coaching pair to help bring the girl's dream of taking the State Championship come true and keep them winning in the classroom too!

COOL SCHOOL OFFERING: 96 FLAVORS 

There are new and very healthy choices on the menus of the New Canaan Public Schools. The elementary school menu notes "We are very proud to say that everything on our menu is freshly prepared in our kitchen!" This sounds like a far cry from "trans-fat laden" frozen pizza, cheeseburgers, fries and chicken nuggets and pastries! Some choices include house recipe chicken strips served with sweet potato wedges, gluten free falafel's, pizza prepared with a whole grain crust, turkey burger and a gluten free veggie burger, developed in their kitchens! Also rounding out the menus are brown rice pilaf daily garden vegetable and mesclun salads and plenty of fresh fruit. Reviews from Liz Kennelly's West and Saxe students were "mixed."

Of course, the high school still offers their ala carte menu which features bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, cheeseburgers, pizza, onion rings and fries to name a few of their traditionally most popular items! According to Ariana Ross, what the kids there are most excited about is a new ice cream vending machine in the school called "MooBella." It claims to be 100 percent natural dairy and offers 96 varieties of premium and light flavors with mix-ins like chocolate chips and M&Ms. Tory Rusch explained, "It's so good! You purchase a cup, put it in the machine and start pushing buttons selecting an ice cream flavor and toppings. The line is long and runs forever." It's apparently worth waiting for. Dana DeFranco has made it her mission to try all 96 varieties before the end of the school year! Now, that may be the best brainfood to get through an AP Chem Class!

SURF'S UP IN ACK!

Considering New Canaan's longtime love affair with Nantucket, many residents anxiously awaited Hurricane Earl's possible direct hit on that island during the night. The report from the island is they all fared well. It wasn't exactly a "non-storm" like down here. There was lots of rain and winds that averaged around 35 mph but without the 70 mph-plus gusts that were anticipated. The real reward was what was described as "Epic Surf" for those willing to venture out. "Rippin doubles yesterday. It got to be 20 feet!" I asked for further explanation from this 50-plus daredevil Matt "Hang Ten" Diserio who grew up in New Canaan. He replied, "Surfing double overhead waves with 12 to 15 foot faces. Bout as big as I'll go. Then, it picked up to 20-plus feet of perfection, which we simply admired safely from the beach."