Bethel Daily Digest: Monday, April 2 , 2012

Today is Monday, April 2 , 2012

TODAY'S WEATHER from the National Weather Forecast

Monday: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 53. Breezy, with a north wind 11 to 14 mph increasing to between 19 and 22 mph. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph.

Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 28. Northwest wind between 3 and 9 mph. 

GARDEN HINTS from the Old Farmers Almanac

How do I get rid of crabgrass in my yard?

Crabgrass tops America's list of lawn complaints. The best crabgrasspreventer is a healthy, thick lawn, and soil with the proper pH balance (7.0-7.5).

Perennial ryegrass is the best competition for crabgrass. It also provides some insect control, as it emits a natural poison that gives some small, damaging bugs the "flu."

Fertilizing is key and must be done in the spring and in the fall. Crabgrass thrives in compacted lawns. Aeration can help. A mixture of 1 pint of hydrogen peroxide, diluted to 3 percent, per 100 square feet of lawn can help eradicate the pesky plant.

Corn gluten meal, a relatively new and increasingly popular natural herbicide, appears to be successful at preventing crabgrass and other common weeds. A by-product of milling corn, it is completely benign, and in a three-year systematic approach to applying it, it can virtually eliminate crabgrass.

QUOTE OF THE DAY from Brainy Quotes

It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice. There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia.
Frank Zappa

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Bethel High graduate Tim Conroy, son of John and Pat Conroy, is a senior at the University of Rhode Island and made the Dean's List for the Fall 2011 semester. Tim is majoring in Entrepreneurial Management.

Congratulations Tim and family!

Now's the time! Sharing daily life with a teenager from another country and culture is a rich and rewarding experience, and it's a wonderful way to bring more understanding into the world. If you've ever thought about welcoming an exchange student into your home and family, now's the time to learn more. YFU USA, the leading international high school student exchange program, needs families in your community to host high school students for an academic year or six months. YFU USA students arrive in August 2012.

All kinds of families can host—two-parent households with young children or teenagers, single-parent families, families with adopted children, foster parents, as well as couples and single people who do not have children or who have grown children. One of the most important characteristics of a host family is being eager and excited to share your life and activities while providing the same kind of care, support, and comfort as you would to your own child or family members.

Call your local Field Director for more information to see if this might be right for you and your family.  You can request profiles of students with interests similar to your own.  Contact Caitlin Culver at 617.868.3660, ext. 1115 or via e-mail at cculver@yfu.org

For more information please visit Youth For Understanding USA on our website at www.yfuusa.orgwhere families and volunteers can learn more about YFU USA programs and fill out an on-line application. You can also check out the New England Website: http://yfu-newengland.weebly.com/index.html and the District Blog: http://yfunortheastdistrict.wordpress.com/too see more students!!

In addition to host families, YFU USA needs people who are interested in becoming volunteer liaisons to work locally with families and their hosted students.

To review few of the student’s profiles, you may also visit our website at www.yfuusa.org. Fill out a hosting interest form today at https://yfuusa.org/hostfamilies/account-register.php to start the process, or call 866.4.YFU.USA for more information. 

Bethel High School is now accepting nominations for its 2012 Athletic Hall of Fame Induction class. Submission are due by May 1st. The nomination form can be found in the BHS main office or on the Bethel High School Athletics web page under the "Hall of Fame" Tab. Nomination forms can be emailed to Jayme McGovern at mcgovernj@bethel.k12.ct.us, or can be mailed as a hard copy to Bethel High School, Attn: J. McGovern, 300 Whittlesey Dr., Bethel, CT 06801.

WCSU Free Events

APR. 3 PIANO RECITAL: Students in the WCSU music program will present a piano studio recital at 8 p.m. in Ives Concert Hall in White Hall on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. The concert will be free and the public is invited. Donations to support the department of music will be accepted. For more information, call (203) 837-8350 or visit www.wcsu.edu/music/concerts.asp

School Date Reminders

April 6th – Schools are closed

April 10 – Conference Day – Early Dismissal – JS & BMS

April 11 – Conference Day – Early Dismissal – JS & BMS

April 12 – Conference Day – Early Dismissal – JS

April 12 – Professional Development Day – Early Dismissal – BMS & BHS

April 16-20 – Spring Recess

TODAY IN HISTORY from On This Day

1792 - The U.S. Congress passed the Coinage Act to regulate the coins of the United States. The act authorized $10 Eagle, $5 half-Eagle & 2.50 quarter-Eagle gold coins & silver dollar, dollar, quarter, dime & half-dime to be minted. 

1877 - The first Egg Roll was held on the grounds of the White House in Washington, DC. 

1889 - Charles Hall patented aluminum. 

1902 - The first motion picture theatre opened in Los Angeles with the name Electric Theatre. 

1932 - A $50,000 ransom was paid for the infant son of Charles and Anna Lindbergh. He child was not returned and was found dead the next month. 

1951 - U.S. General Dwight Eisenhower assumed command of all allied forces in the Western Mediterranean area and Europe. 

1956 - "The Edge of Night" and "As the World Turns" debuted on CBS-TV. 

1963 - Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King began the first non-violent campaign in Birmingham, AL. 

1972 - Burt Reynolds appeared nude in "Cosmopolitan" magazine. 

1978 - The first episode of "Dallas" aired on CBS. 

1986 - On a TWA airliner flying from Rome to Athens a bomb exploded under a seat killing four Americans. 

1987 - The speed limit on U.S. interstate highways was increased to 65 miles per hour in limited areas. 

1992 - Mob boss John Gotti was convicted in New York of murder and racketeering. He was later sentenced to life in prison. 

1995 - The costliest strike in professional sports history ended when baseball owners agreed to let players play without a contract. 

Have an announcement or an interesting bit of news?  Let us know!  Click here or email Christine Rose at RosepetL5@aol.com